Treacherous Trust
by Threstrals101
Summary: Harry Potter is believed to not be the BWL, this time it is his twin. But is that really true? Harry is not loved, neglected, and instead, finds peace with the dark side. But soon Harry discovers that things might be not what they seem to be, with deceit and trickery at every turn. Who can he trust, who is his REAL family? Darkish Harry, Grey Hermione.
1. The start of everything

Far away in the middle of a small forest just outside a town called Godrics Hollow, a young boy about 10 years old crashed into the small clearing that marked the center of the forest. As he flung himself onto the floor, he started to cry, earnestly. Far up in the heavens, a bright light descended into the clearing. The small bright light hovered above a sobbing boy's head. Although he didn't notice it, it seemed to have a calming presence about it, and he slowly stopped crying and took some deep shuddering breaths. Eventually he looked up at the sky, his emerald eyes filled with unshed tears. His hands gripped the grass around him as he sat up and looked around him.

"Must have reached the middle this time" The boy muttered to himself. "I don't know how I'm going to get back though."

A hoot sounded from the forest, and the boy shivered, rubbing his arms, which weren't protected by the old t-shirt he had on. Far away, the sounds of a party could be heard. The boy turned his head towards the source of noise and tears started rolling down his face silently. He wiped his eyes angrily, and stood up.

"They won't be worried about me though. They just care about their precious boy who lived, Mr. Oh so awesome, King Albus. They don't even care enough to give me one small present, one happy birthday. No, instead I have to clean up the kitchen while they give my brother all the attention, and…." He started to cry again, but this time it was angry yells, as the tears came down, and he yelled into the forest,

"THEY PROBABLY WOULDN'T EVEN NOTICE IF A STOOD IN FRONT OF THEM AND DIED!"

Then, he swiped at his eyes and said to himself "No, don't cry. You'll only make yourself weak. Mum and Dad don't like weakness. Albus wasn't weak when You-Know-Who came to kill us, and he protected me. He stood up to the man, I didn't. I tried to hide. Albus saved me...Albus saved the world…..I am nothing. Albus has a curse scar on his chest, a small gash, the only thing that remained after the Avada Kedavra. I got a cut on my forehead, from a falling piece of wood, I should be happy, I should be dead, I didn't save anyone….."

His small body shuddered with the cold, and his lips turned blue. The small ball of light hovered patiently above him, as if waiting for him to do something. The boy once again looked up at the sky, and whispered;

"I don't want to be here anymore. Everybody loves Albus, even my own parents won't look at me…..I'm just normal Harry Potter, nothing special….even though I know that Albus didn't save us….He was hiding behind me when the bad man came...I REMEMBER IT! Nobody believes me though, because they just say that…..A flash of green light, and then everything was painful….Oh it hurt…." The boy lapsed of into mutterings, and then, shivering lay down onto the ground. A cold wind blew across the clearing, and the boy shivered violently. Then, he whispered tiredly

"I wish that someone would help me…..become what Mum and Dad want me to be…...I wish I could be someone else….I don't know….I wish that they would love me…..like they love Albus. I wish…..I WISH THAT SOMEBODY CARED!" The small ball of light enveloped the boy, and then with a flash disappeared. A small whisper was heard saying "help me.." and then it was boy sat up.

"I'm warm again…..Anyone? Hello?" The boy cried out.

"Must have been an accidental warming charm. I better get back now…..It's getting dark. Humph. Mum and Dad never notice MY accidental magic."

Harry Potter stood up and walked through the forest. Even though it was a dark night, he walked, unafraid, and seemed to relish the fact that it was nighttime. Slowly but surely, the forest grew thinner, and with a deep sigh, Harry stepped out of the forest, and into a large garden, full of people singing "Happy Birthday" to Albus Thomas Potter, the boy who lived. Or so it said, on the huge banner floating magically in the middle of the garden. Harry's eyes grew angry at this, and he stomped past the gaggle of people singing happily to their supposed saviour. Nobody noticed Albus's twin, enter the house, and slam the door. As the people stopped singing their song, there was a burst of sound, as everybody surged forward to congratulate Albus. It was his 11th birthday after all, and 11th birthday's in the the magical household were important ones.

Upstairs in the attic, Harry stomped across the room, and sat down huffily on the bed. The attic was a nice place, and Harry had actually requested to have this room when his parents had announced that Albus should have his own room. Harry looked longingly at the pile of presents he could see outside the window in the garden. Albus was already tearing them open. Harry had received one present, a gift from his godfather Sirius Black, a book on how to defend himself against all sorts of dark creatures. Harry's godfather, Sirius was probably the only person who paid attention to him.

With a sigh, Harry picked up his lone present and began to read. As the night grew darker, Harry slowly fell asleep. Below him, his parents were putting Albus to sleep, looking fondly at him. They sighed, and then turned of the light and retired to the sitting room.

And far away, in a castle that reeked of dark magic, a man named Tom Marvolo Riddle was woken up by a bright ball of light.

"Help me…."


	2. A midnight meeting and a decision

A large snake slithered into the Potter house. Everyone was fast asleep, and the snake could just hear James Potter snoring loudly from the master bedroom. The snake slithered from room, looking for a boy with black hair and green eyes, as her master had told her. Her master had received a vision of a small boy crying, with the name of Harry Potter. The snake had been confused, as her master had barely survived the killing curse sent at him from that boy, but the master had told her to fetch the boy and bring him to the Riddle manor. She had made a portkey out of the snake, so that when the boy touched her, they would be instantly transported back to the manor. The snake thought that her master probably wanted to kill the boy, but when she said so, her master got a weird look on his face, and had denied it quietly. Dismissing these thoughts, the snake hissed in annoyance. The boy was nowhere to be found! She had thought that the boy in the big room on the 2nd floor was the boy, but it turned out he had red hair instead of black. That only left...the attic? The snake slithered up the small staircase that lead to the attic, and there he was...the boy with black hair. The room was small, and the bed looked very uncomfortable. The snake slithered forward, and onto the boy. Then, chuckling the way only a snake can, she reared forward and gave the boy a small nip on the ear, emitting venom. The boy sat up in shock and rubbed his eyes. Then, looked down.

_"Argh! Snake! Mum! Da-"_ Harry stopped and looked down at the snake. His voice had sounded different there. He tried again:

"_Mum? Dad? There's a snake in my room! And it bit me! Sorry please..." _Harry stopped yelling, because his parents probably wouldn't come, his voice still sounded weird, and the snake was looking at him in an amused way, that only snakes can do.

_"Ahhh, so we have a Parseltongue then, do we? Hello young boy. My name is Nagini, and I am the snake of the Dark lord. He wishes to speak to you-" _Nagini broke of at the violent reaction the boy had when she told him her name. He nearly fell out of bed.

_"Nagini? But...but you're HIS snake! The dark lord! That means...You-Know-Who?"_ The boy whispered fearfully.

Nagini shook her head in exasperation. Leave it to the light to make a mockery out of her master. Her master was not to be feared. He might have a dark side, as predicted because after all, he used dark magic, but there was a softer side to him that only his most inner circle would ever know. As the boy would soon find out.

_"I have had enough. I am taking you to meet him. Why, I do not know. Portus" _She hissed, and her body turned blue, and in a flash they were gone.

James and Lily Potter slept on, not knowing that their other son had been taken to meet the most feared Dark Lord of the century.

Harry yelped in fear when he landed onto the soft rug in Riddle manor. He stared all around him. Above him where portraits who either snored or sniffed haughtily at him. Harry scrambled up, and dusted himself off. He looked at Nagini, who obviously was much more comfortable than him. 'She probably had a soft landing' Harry thought.

"Where am I?" He wondered out loud.

"In Riddle manor, Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you. My name is Tom Riddle, or Voldemort."

Harry gasped and turned around. There, in the shadows, stood a dark figure. As the figure came into the light, Harry steeled himself to what Voldemort was going to look like. Horror stories had been told of how he had no nose, and how his blood red eyes would be the last thing you would see before he killed you. But the man that came to light looked nothing at all like the stories had described him as. An ageless face was revealed, with high arching eyebrows and high cheekbones. His eyes where a soft green, not like the piercing emerald that Harry had. He had wavy brown hair, that was styled perfectly.

Voldemort chuckled at Harry's astounded look. "Didn't expect me to look so...What's the word? Nice...handsome...kind? Heard the stories of the red eyes, and no nose? A simple spell gave me those, so that I could walk the streets without being stared at."

Harry made a noise at the back of his throat that sounded like a whimper. Then he shook himself and straightened up. 'Mum and Dad don't like weakness. Mum and Dad don't like weakness'. He thought.

"Are you going to kill me?" He said, boldly looking Voldemort in the eye.

"Ahhh... That. You see, while you might have reflected the killing curse and nearly killed me, and while you might be the son of the most lightest family after the Dumbledores, I don't want to kill you. Whatever Albus Dumbledore has told you, I will tell you one thing. They are not true."

Harry stared at the man in shock. "You...You don't want to kill me? But then why am I here? What do you want? I...If your going to abduct me and hold me for ransom...My parents will come and...and rescue me! And then, and then Mr. Dumbledore will kill you! Yes, and then everything will be ok!" Harry rambled on and on, paying no heed to the sad expression that had crossed Voldemort's face.

"I want to offer you a home."

Harry stopped rambling and looked at Voldemort, nearly falling down in shock.

"But...I...Er...Sorry?"

Voldemort chuckled.

"Do you know Neville Longbottom?"

Harry nodded sadly. Everybody knew Neville Longbottom, who had been kidnapped at the age of 8 by Lord Voldemort. Neville himself had been quite good friends with Harry, and when Harry learned that he was gone, it had caused him great sorrow that his only friend had been kidnapped and was almost 100% dead.

"Well...You might have heard that he..." Voldemort paused and looked at Harry who was glaring at him with his emerald eyes.

"You! How could I forget! You killed my best friend! MY ONLY FRIEND! Give me a wand, lets make this a fair fight. I know some spells! I want to avenge my friend!" Harry said angrily, forgetting that he was talking to one of the most powerful wizards of the century.

Voldemort chuckled "Well, Harry I have a nice surprise for you. You see, when I kidnapped Neville, I didn't do it to kill him. Neville summoned me because he was unhappy. Years ago, when I was young and foolish, I was playing around with some ancient magic, and somehow linked myself to you and Neville. I will explain later, as it is a very long story. I realized that while my path was the correct one..." Harry coughed to cover for the snort that he made.

"Killing muggleborns? Killing muggles? Killing people who disagree with you? TRYING TO KILL INNOCENT 1 YEAR OLDS? I think not." Harry said boldly, not afraid of what Voldemort might do.

Voldemort sighed. "Contrary to the popular belief, I, do not like that. I do not believe in that. My mother was a witch, and my father was a muggle. I, am a half blood." Harry gasped, and then covered it up. 'No weakness' He repeated to himself like a mantra.

"Harry, maybe it is best if I show you..." Voldemort snapped his fingers, and suddenly they were in a large room. There, in the big oak bed, lay Neville Longbottom, who blearily opened his eyes and said "Tom?"

Lily and James Potter were having a lovely day. Their son, Albus Potter was amusing them with his antics, and it was a bright and sunny day. They had not noticed their other son's disappearance, and didn't care at all that they had not seen him all day. So naturally, when he came running across the lawn, dark circles under his eyes, yelling "I'm alright! I'm alright!", they were rather surprised.

"Mum! Dad! Sorry, I...A snake...Voldemort...Neville...is..." He looked at them surprised. "Er, um, did you...notice?"

James looked at his son in irritation. He was just showing Albus how to cast the protego charm with his new wand that they had picked up and Diagon alley that day. Couldn't Harry see they were busy?

"What is it Harry? I thought you were in bed?" James spat out, disgusted at the state of his son. Harry's hair was messy, and he was still wearing his pajamas. Albus on the other hand was looking at Harry, smirking, dressed in a crisp suit.

Harry looked at him incredulously. "But...we were all going to Diagon alley today? I thought you would have noticed! I mean...it was a family outing...wasn't it?"

Lily and James looked uncomfortably at Harry. "Well son, you see, we tacked a note to your door explaining why we went without you. You see, we...we thought that since the press would make it hard...I mean...Well...Nobody really knows who you are kid. Ok? Nobody really cares, either. Albus needs to be the sole focus of attention, to avoid gossip. And besides, WE are the perfect family that you aren't part of. Sorry kid, but to be honest, you aren't really wanted around here.." James paled as he spat out harsh words at his son.

Harry's eyes filled with tears. Then, as they dripped down his face, his emerald green eyes turned completely cold.

"Well. I now see what you truly think of me...Father. Mother? Dare to question his words?" Harry sneered at his "family". They all looked taken aback. Usually Harry was soft spoken and easy to order around. This Harry...well, it wasn't what they liked.

Lily Potter gulped, and looked at her youngest son. "Well, Harry dear, Albus is much more important than you...You have to understand that...well..." Lily looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Harry," She tried again "Harry, dear, I mean,...Well, Albus is so much more better than you! I mean you have to understand why we love him more than you..." Lily blushed as she realized what she had just revealed.

Harry looked at her coldly. "I am sad to say that I belong to the Potter family. I hereby renounce the Potter name and my family. Goodbye." Harry sneered, and took out the portkey that Voldemort had given him. "Hope to never see you all again." And with that Harry James Potter was gone.

James and Lily looked with shock at the spot Harry had been a few seconds ago. Then they both looked at each other, and started to talk rapidly.

"He wouldn't just leave..." "I wonder what he was trying to tell us?" "We'll see him at Hogwarts, won't we?" "I mean...we have to send out a search party James. This is our son..." "We have been rather bad parents haven't we?"

James and Lily stared at the ground ashamed.

"When we find him, we'll make everything right." Lily said, a lone tear rolling down her face. "My Harry...I can't believe we've neglected him after all these years!"

Albus looked at his parents. Harry had just disappeared, and now his parents were talking about him. He wanted the attention.

Albus cleared his throat. "Um, dad, no offence, but I want you guys to stop talking about Harry. I mean, I'm the boy-who-lived, right? So where does he factor in. I mean, " Albus laughed conceitedly "But he's nothing compared to me."

Lily looked at her son in horror. It seemed only now that she was suddenly awakened to the spoilt behavior of her son. "Albus...No. That is very spoilt of you to say. Your brother has just disappeared, and could be in potential danger. You should be worried!" She said fiercely.

Albus looked shocked at his mothers behavior, and looked to his father for support, only to find him nodding in agreement with Lily.

"Lily, prepare a search party. We have to find Harry and make this up to him." James said, and proceded into the house to call everyone they knew.

But, alas, they would not see Harry again for another 5 years.

"Harry. I see you changed your mind about earlier."

Harry, after seeing Neville, had run through the manor. He had spotted a fireplace, with some floo powder, and, as he stepped into the fireplace called out "LIAR! I WILL NEVER EVER LIVE HERE!" He had then disappeared to the Potter manor.

"They don't care for me. I want a home. I..." Harry looked at his feet.

"They didn't care. All they care about is Albus. And they went to Diagon Alley without me! They don't want me to be a part of their family. Albus is better then me." Harry concluded sadly.

"Harry, let me explain to you one thing. You will always have a home here." Voldemort said, looking at the boy.

Harry looked at him. "Sir, before I accept your offer, I need to know your true beliefs. Why do you want world domination? What IS your goal? My mother is a muggleborn, so no matter how much I hate her now, I would never want her dead."

Voldemort sighed, and conjured two comfortable looking chairs. He beckoned for Harry to sit down, and then with a deep breath, launched into his story.

"When I was 16 years old, I found out that my father had abandoned my mother. In a fit of rage, I went to his house, the one you are sitting in right now, and killed him. You must understand that while doing this, I was hotheaded and had known nothing but hate all my life. I then proceeded to change my name to Voldemort. I became a sort of sadist, killing people for fun. It was not one of my better times. Anyway, when I was 35 years old, I sought a way to make myself immortal. I wanted to link myself to younger people, who would eventually give their life sources, and magical cores to me. They would on their 5th birthday give me their life expectancy. A life expectancy in the wizarding world is final. Unless you get killed or find a way to prolong your life, you will die at that age. I checked the life expectancy of all possible children. I narrowed it dow to two boys, you, and Neville."

Harry's eyes widened. "But why us sir? I mean, we were only babies at the time. You couldn't possible have known our magical potential or something."

Voldemort smiled "Yes, well the thing is, is that I would still keep my magical core. If anything, it would just make me more powerful. Anyway, while doing the ceremony, and calling your spirits to me, I summoned an ancient magic that wasn't part of the ceremony, by mistake. I carried on, unaware that this ancient other magic was interfering with the actual ceremony, and by the time I had finished, it was to late. Instead of linking your life span to me, I linked your souls. We are in other words, a family. I am the head, and you and Neville are my...sons in other words."

Harry gaped at him. "No way? What? But Lily and James are my parents? Why did you try to kill me? I don't get it!"

"Well, you see, I was so angry when I realised that I would now feel emotions over you two boys. Previously, I had ensured that I wouldn't care, love or have mercy for anyone. I dabbled to far into the dark arts, and had forsaken anything human in me. But that ritual brought it back. You and Neville became important to me. However, then the prophecy came into play."

Harry nodded. His entire family knew about the prophecy, and how Albus would be the one to save them all.

"Well, I thought that since you had a brother, I would kill him, instead of you or Neville. That way I would not provoke any emotions or regret in killing you or Neville. I could not afford to be weak, I told myself. But when I went to your house, and tried to kill your brother, a strange thing happened. As a shot a killing curse at your brother, you stepped in front of him, and rebounded the curse. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps your sacrifice of love. I don't know. Anyway, the killing curse rebounded, and I escaped, within an inch of my life."

"But sir, where does offering me a home come into play with this?"

"Well, a few years ago, a small snake came slithering to me, saying it had encountered a boy in the woods. I was intrigued, as the woods surrounding my house are very far away from any nearby towns, and are notorious for the dark magic that resides there. Anyway, the boy turned out to be Neville, who was running away from his home. I took him here, and offered him a home. And now, a few years later, I was woken up by that same ancient magic that alerted me that you were incredibly unhappy. So, here I am, offering you a home."

Harry wasn't convinced. "You have managed to avoid the subject of the war, sir. But what do you want?"

"Well, yes, I still am quite interested in world domination. I will start with Britain, and then slowly conquer other countries. That has not changed. But the thing is, I hate muggles. They are not going to benefit us in any way. I do not want to conquer them, I am merely interested in keeping our race in the dark, so that muggles do not try to harm us. And, I am offering you another thing. Become my heir, along with Neville. And..." Here Voldemort did something that Harry didn't think was possible for a Dark Lord. He blushed embarrassed with what he was about to say. "And if you want, Neville has been begging me to take an adoption potion. It will change your looks, but it will also make you legally my son...well actually illegally as this potion is very dangerous. If you are willing to try it though?"

Harry looked at Voldemort, and then, he thought of his family. He could have one here, a better one. And one day, he could have revenge on his family who had wronged him, made him so unhappy all these years. He looked at Voldemort and said very firmly,

"Yes."

Chapter 3 coming soon! Hope you all enjoyed! Please review and comment below, and thank you to all of those who have liked this story!


	3. New family, new home, new blood

"Hey…."

Those were Neville's first words to Harry

"Long time no see!" Said Harry sarcastically. "Why didn't you tell me where you went! I was completely miserable after you left. You do realize that you were my only friend?"

Neville raised his hands sheepishly. "Well, I was insecure. I thought you might try to stop me. Tom told me to wait and see…." Upon seeing Harry's confused expression he said, "His real name isn't just Voldemort you know, it's Tom Marvolo Riddle. He said I could call him that."

"Oh." Was Harry's unimpressed reply.

"Well, Tom said to wait and see if you ran away. And when you didn't, I assumed that maybe family life had gotten better for you. So…..yeah."

Harry looked at his old friend and grinned. "Well, I'm going to get you back for that. You know, your parents weren't that devastated when you left…..You never told me that you had problems! There was I, rambling on and on about Albus, and James and Lily, and you never said a word!"

Neville laughed "Yeah, well my parents didn't ignore me, I just didn't feel loved. They were just too absorbed with work to notice me really."

"Oh….well, so….How's life?" Harry asked awkwardly "Are you like the Dark Heir or something?"

Neville shook his head. "Tom planned on revealing that I would be the Dark Heir on my 11th birthday, but then you came a long and that was postponed. So now, we are going to be Dark Heirs together! Once you learn everything that is."

"But what about Hogwarts? I just got my letter and everything!" Harry said

"Er, well sorry mate, but I don't think that that's going to happen now. Your disappearance is all over the newspapers! Your parents actually come across as concerned."

Harry snorted. "Yeah right, they just are afraid for Albus. Oh no, Harry's been kidnapped, it's going to be Albus next. Voldemort is going to kill him and then come back for the more important twin. Kill everyone that might sacrifice their lives for him, that might protect him. Then attack Albus. Oh no!"

Neville grinned. "Well, mate, the ceremonies in an hour. How about some dueling? I'm sure you got plenty of practice with Albus in the house."

Upon hearing this, Harry's face darkened. "No, I was never allowed. I…..I don't even have my own wand yet."

Neville looked at Harry shocked "But, Hogwarts starts tomorrow, didn't your parents take you?"

Harry snarled "No. They left me at home because they didn't want me to be part of the family or something like that."

Neville shook his head angrily "We'll get you a wand Harry. In the mean time, you can use this training wand. Do you know a few simple spells? Tom said that he would only start teaching me dark spells once I was 11. So you're right on time! We can get our education together. Tom's getting all of his inner circle death eaters to teach us one subject. Basically it'll be like Hogwarts, but much more advanced and quicker, because it's only us two. "

Harry grinned mischieviously "Well, why don't we try with the wand. I know a few spells and stuff from an old book in Da-, I mean James's library." He looked uncomfortable with the slip up.

Neville smirked and said "Ha. It's gonna take more than a _few spells _to best me!" He scoffed.

Harry grinned internally. Neville didn't know one thing. Harry had been practicing wandless magic for more than a few years, and was quite accomplished.

This was going to be an interesting duel.

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"Harry! You traitor! Why didn't you tell me you were so good? Ow….My left buttock really hurts….." Neville groaned as they stepped out of the duelling hall.

"_Harry…..I see you have become reaquainted with Neville. Massster hassss sssent me to fetch you for the ceremony. Follow me pleassse." _Nagini had slithered up to them as they walked down the corridor.

"Como'n Nev, Tom's told us to follow Nagini."

Neville looked shocked "You can speak parseltongue?"

"Yeah."

"_Hurry up! The ceremony must be performed exactly at the stroke of midnight" _Nagini hissed, annoyed that the boys were dawdling

Harry looked ahead of them. There stood two ancient looking doors, with symbols and runes carved into them. Nagini hissed at them, and one of the runes turned blue. Then, as if spreading a disease, the other runes and symbols turned blue as well, and the doors opened. Nagini beckoned with her head, and Neville and Harry stepped into the large room. There Tom stood, next to a bubbling cauldron, and with a pure silver knife in his hand.

"Enter, Harry James Potter, and Neville Samuel Longbottom."

The ceremony proceeded with Voldemort muttering a lot of (in Harry's opinion) nonsense and then requesting Harry and Neville's blood. Hesitantly, Neville and Harry cut their palms with the silver knife. Voldemort did the same, and all of them at the same time squeezed their blood into the cauldron.

Pain.

Everything went black.

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When Harry woke up, his face felt different. He touched his face, and to his surprise, his fingers were longer and more pale. Harry jumped out of his wide comfortable bed and searched for a mirror. Finally when he found one, he gasped in shock.

He looked different.

Very different.

Actually no, he didn't change that much, but still.

Harry's face had become more refined. Instead of the usual Potter face, which was a more rounder face, his face had become more oval shaped. His cheekbones were much higher, and gave him a more aristocratic look, along with his more pointed eyebrows. His once tanned face was very pale, and he was tall, taller than he had ever been. He had a lithe figure, and when he moved, it was not with the clumsiness that he had once possessed, but more with the elegance of a panther. His hair was much longer, and although it was black, hung in little ringlets just below his ears. Harry shook his face to see if his lightningbolt scar was there.

Yes the blasted thing was still there. The only thing that had not changed about Harry were his eyes, the eyes that his once mother Lily possesed. His nose, was also still the same, the same nose that James had. Harry scowled. He wanted nothing to do with his old life. The eyes and the nose were just reminders, however small. The eyes in particular.

_Flashback:_

_Lily looked at Albus with adoring attention. He was 6 years old, and had just defeated Voldemort. What a brave young boy. _

_Lily's attention shifted to the small boy who was standing just outside of their little group. James, Lily and Albus were all on the couch, watching a muggle show, made especially for little children. Albus loved it, so, Lily and James did to. _

"_Harry! Why don't you join us? Sit on the floor, just don't look like you're uncomfortable being around us!" Lily laughed. She didn't like the expression of loneliness on Harry's face, and realized uncomfortably how much he had grown, and how she hadn't realized it until now. 'He needs new clothing' she noted. She made up her mind the first time she had free to get Harry some new clothing. _

_Harry flinched. It was the first time that he had been addressed directly in months. Ever since Albus had supposedly vanquished the Dark Lord at the age of 4, his parents had started ignoring Harry more and more. _

_Albus scowled at the attention being shifted away from him for one second. "Mum, Dad, what are genetics?" He asked, hearing the word on the T.V. _

_James grinned. "What a smart little boy! Such curiosity as well. The markings of a true Gryffindor." _

_Harry rolled his eyes inwardly. If he remembered correctly those were the markings of a Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor. And Albus didn't really want to know what the word was, he just wanted the attention on him. So he posed a question that his parents would have to answer, and pay attention to him. VERY slytherin of him, especially for a 6 year old. _

"_Basically genetics are something that are passed down from Mommy and me. Like, you have Mommy's red hair, and have my brown eyes." James said, taking on a teacher role. _

_Harry perked up. James seemed proud that Albus had inherited his eyes. Maybe if he asked him what he had inherited, than he would be proud of him too. _

"_Er….Dad? What did I inherit?" Harry asked, shyly. _

_James turned around and smiled at his son. "Harry! Didn't even notice that you were there! Well…..let's see. Um…You look a lot like me. My black hair and face figure, nose eyebrows…..gosh you haven't inherited anything from Lily!" _

_Lily chuckled "Actually you self-absorbed prat, he HAS inherited something. My green eyes." _

_Harry flushed, happy that both of his parents were talking about him. _

_Albus, noticing the attention was off him, tried again. "But Mommy, what about our talents?" _

_Lily nodded "Well, there is a debate on whether or not traits can be passed down. I believe that they can." _

"_Where did I inherit my talent for defeating dark lords?" Came Albus's blunt reply. _

_Both James and Lily grinned "Honey, that isn't something that you inherited. You just are really strong and powerful with magic. You probably inherited it from Godric Gryffindor, who was our direct descendant." James finished, proudly._

_Albus wasn't satisfied "But what did I inherit from Mommy and you?" _

"_Hmmm...well you have an aptitude for Care of magical creatures….Probably me! Also my flying skills and my awesomeness at pranking." James said. _

"_What about me Dad?" Harry asked excitedly. _

_Albus sneered at him. "Harry hasn't inherited anything. He's just a stupid ordinary wizard. He doesn't even look like Mommy or Daddy." _

_Lily frowned. She didn't like the tone of her son's voice. _

_Harry felt tears welling up in his eyes. "Mommy! Daddy! That's not true…..right? I mean….I have magical powers! And I look like you as well! Mommy and Daddy just said that Albus!" _

_Lily and James looked uncomfortable. They hadn't actually paid attention to Harry's lessons that he had been getting. _

"_Daddy?" Harry implored _

_With a sigh James turned around to face Harry. "Harry….You haven't really got a lot of magical talent. Albus is much more talented than you. You shouldn't try to ask if you are at the same level that he is. Albus is not your equal in any shape or form. He is the boy-who-lived. You are not." _

_Harry looked at his mother. _

"_But Mommy, I've got your eyes! You said so!" _

_Albus pouted. "Mommy doesn't have your eyes, and you haven't got hers. You are really ugly compared to me…..Mommy Harry's being mean send him away." _

_Lily groaned. "Harry, go and make yourself useful somewhere else. You are just causing disruption here." _

_Harry faced her "Mommy, just say I have your eyes." _

"_Harry…" _

"_Please!" _

"_You have my eyes. Now, stop whining. I am ashamed to think that my son is acting like this." _

_Harry turned away and walked to the kitchen. But just before he entered he heard James say,_

"_To be honest, it's a bit embarrassing to have him as our son. Not much special is he? Only striking thing about him is his eyes, and those just make him look like an overgrown gnome. Gosh Lily, it's a pity that your amazing eyes were wasted on...Harry. "_

_As he heard Albus, Lily and James laughing at his expense, Harry's eyes welled up with tears. _

"_They aren't your eyes Mum. Their mine." _

_End Flashback _

Harry shook himself and went to go see Neville.

"Woah...Neville!" Harry exclaimed as he walked through the door.

Neville had changed even more than Harry had. Gone was the baby fat that had once rounded his face. Instead, he had the same high eyebrows and cheekbones that Harry had, and his hair was a chestnut color, that was one big wave on the top of his head. Actually scratch that. Neville had serious bed head.

Harry couldn't see one significant noticable thing in Neville that he had possessed before the change. Even his once brown eyes had turned into a deep blue-grey, that gave him a truly aristocratic look. The only thing that Neville had retained from his old days were his enormous ears and solid build. Also, the long scar that ran up his arm that Neville had had from when he was younger was still there. Neville had never told him how he had got it.

Neville grinned "Tom's expecting us in the main hall. He wants us to meet some more people…..and he said that if we wanted to we could change our names. After all…..well the potion won't change our parents or heritage, but Tom is our legal guardian now. We are his heirs, even in blood now. But if someone performs a birth charm on us, we will be reverted back to our old appearances…..And our old blood. And then our parents can take custody of us, etc, etc. But they don't want us back, so we're good."

Harry looked at him "I know Nev, Tom told me too."

Neville chuckled. "Right, forgot for a second there. Anyway, I was thinking of changing my name to Finn, but I don't know. I've kind of gotten attached to Neville…"

The boys walked of talking about the new possibilities that were being presented to them.

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The inner circle of Death Eaters were bowing towards their master, their eyes downcast, visibly flinching as they felt Voldemort's eyes sweep over them.

Although visibly cruel, he did not torture them as much as Harry had expected. He had thought that while Tom might seem kind to them, his more dominating side would be revealed at the meeting. While he did crucio numerous Death Eaters, he showed some compassion when they started to sob.

Neville and Harry were hidden in a small room just outside the Great hall. Tom had explained to them before hand that he would announce them as his Heirs, and they would begin their training as soon as possible. Tom suspected a traitor in their midst, so it wouldn't be long before Dumbledore would mount an attack to get rid of them. Dark heirs were a threat, as they would be a legacy, and the war wouldn't just end if Dumbledore managed to kill of Tom. He would then have to contend with two rising Dark Lords who would finish the war.

"My loyal followers….I have something to announce. I have chosen heirs." Tom announced, his eyes raking over the men.

All the Death Eaters stood up a bit taller. It was obvious that they didn't know that the Heirs would be some people that they had never met before. They expected it to be one of them, or their sons.

Nott, who could obviously barely contain his excitement asked "My lord, which one of us is blessed with that honor?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes. Nott gulped and stammered "Forgive me, I did not mean to assume anything...AHHHH" His sentence was cut off abruptly as he was hit by Voldemort's whispered crucio.

After Nott was done, Voldemort turned his gaze to the doors, where Harry and Neville were barely visible, peeking out. They shut the door and heard "And now, I present to you, Hadrian Riddle, and Neville Riddle!"

Harry and Neville walked proudly to their mentor and guide. They knelt before him, and then he lifted his wand. Tom said that they had needed a mark, a different mark than the one that the death eaters had, but one that would mark them as his heir. Harry gritted his teeth as the wand branded his new tattoo on. Neville let out a small grunt, and both looked down at their marks, as they were different. Harry had a type of symbol, a triangle, then a stick, and then a circle. He recognized it as the deathly hallows sign. Neville had gotten a more detailed one, a curling type of smoke around a wand, laid sideways. Harry grinned up at Voldemort, and thought, 'Potters beware. I will get my revenge.'

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Far away in the Potter manor, Lily and James Potter leaned on each other, sobbing heavily. Their son's supposed corpse had just been found, badly burnt with the words carved into it's chest. They had no idea what it meant, but either way, they were sorry they hadn't been able to say goodbye.

The message said:

**YOU WILL SUFFER AS I HAVE SUFFERED. **

END OF CHAPTER 3.

I will try and get chapter 4 up within the week, but I'm not sure, cause of school and stuff.

Sneak peek for next chapter: More into Harry's old life, and Voldemort might not be who he says he is…..


	4. Turmoil

_I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise. _

_Flashback: _

"_Lily! It's him! RUN! TAKE HARRY AND ALBUS! I'll try to hold him off!" James yelled. He then set himself in front of the door with a determined look on his face. He was going to hold of this monster if it was the last thing he did. _

_The door creaked open, and Tom Riddle, or Voldemort entered. He raised his eyebrows at James's fighting stance. _

"_James Potter. It doesn't have to go like this. I will let you live, if you let me pass. I do not want to harm you. " _

_James sneered. "Harm me? You will harm me if you kill one of my sons, you cold hearted bastard!" _

_Voldemort sighed. "Very well. __**STUPEFY!**_" _James Potter fell to the ground, as Voldemort's spell got through his hastily constructed shield. _

_Voldemort walked up the stairs calmly. He would kill the boy if it was the last damn thing he would do. He could hear Lily desperately trying to get out of the house. 'Stupid women'. Voldemort thought. 'My death eaters are intelligent enough to block every way of leaving.' _

_Voldemort entered the nursery. Lily held both boys in her arms, whispering to them. She kissed them both on the head, dropped them in one crib, and turned around to face Voldemort. _

"_Stand aside, Lily Potter. I will only kill one. You will have the other." Lily looked at him defiantly. _

"_Never. You harm my sons, and I swear, I will rip every piece of your soul to shreds." _

"_I am getting bored of you. __**Stupefy.**_" _Voldemort said, in a bored tone. He then walked over to the crib. _

_Two little boys sat there, holding one another. Voldemort noted how the black haired, green eyed one stood in front of the other one. Well….that was a nuisance. He was the one that...never mind his thoughts weren't safe here. _

_Voldemort picked up both boys and set them on the floor. Then he placed...what was the boys name? Oh yes, Harry to the side, who got up on his legs to try and reach the other one….Albus._

"_Albus! Albus!" Cried Harry, as if sensing what Voldemort was about to do. _

'_No use in wasting time.' Voldemort thought. _

"_**Avada Kedavra!" **__Voldemort cried….and then gasped. Harry had somehow run on his weak legs to Albus, and jumped in front of the green spell. It hit him and…..a blue light surrounded him and the spell bounced of it…..right back at Voldemort. He spun avoiding the green light by just millimeters. He was about to cast the spell again when he heard voices outside. 'Dumbledore.' Voldemort thought grimly. _

_Without a word, he ran towards the window and smashed it. He jumped out, ran outside the apparition wards, and disapparated. _

_Harry had a thin slit on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. He didn't notice it though, and was hugging Albus, who was crying after being caught by a shower of glass. He had a cut on his arm, that was bleeding profusely, as the windows were quite thick. _

_Lily stirred. "Albus! Harry!" _

"_Mama, Albus is hurt. Bad man come, green light and BOOOF!" Harry waved his chubby little arms in the air. _

"_Harry, Albus are you all….Oh my Albus!" Lily said catching sight of his arm. Although Harry didn't know it then, it would be a long time before Lily would say his name again with concern. _

_As Lily fussed over the two twins, Dumbledore entered the room. He surveyed the wreckage, and saw that Harry was ok and toddling around the room, where as Albus was crying. He could sense a lot of dark magic, and it was right next to Albus. Little did he know that that exact spot was where Harry had just sat. Dumbledore frowned. Albus should have dark magic around him if he had repelled such a dark curse. Then he smiled. 'Albus must be so powerful that he is leaking dark magic into the room.' _

_Dumbledore straightened up and then he went to Lily and whispered something. Her eyes widened, and they both hurried out of the room, with Albus in Lily's arms. Harry was left in the room to his own devices. He tried to follow them, only to cut his foot on one of the leftover pieces of glasses. _

"_Owwww….Mommy! Ow! My foot! Mama!" Harry begun to wail, as it was a deep cut. From outside his house, he could hear Dumbledore announcing: _

"_And I give to you, ladies and gentleman, Albus Thomas Potter, the chosen one, who is the only human being in history to have survived the killing curse! I give you, the boy-who-lived!" _

_There were many people crowded around the Potters house, and their shouts and cheers drowned out any other noise. Including the cries of a young forgotten boy, crying for his parents, who were gushing over his twin brother outside. _

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"Harry….Concentrate!" Tom Riddle snapped at Harry after a particularly tiring Occlumency lesson. Harry just couldn't get the hang of it.

"Sorry, Dad. I just can't seem to block out those memories!" Voldemort had given Harry and Neville the permission to call him Dad after the blood ceremony. It had become obvious that Neville had been wanting to call him that for a while, as he had lived with Voldemort for about 2 years now.

"Those….memories. Where it was your 6th birthday and your parents...ignored you? Why didn't you run away like Neville did? I mean…..you didn't even run away by your 11th birthday. It was only after I offered you a home that you decided to run away." Voldemort asked hesitantly.

"I….I suppose I kept on remembering what it used to be like. I kept on thinking to myself that things would get better. Every time Mum...I mean Lily and James would pay attention to me, I would be so happy. It would….be like Christmas, my birthday and every happy moment in my life wrapped into one little moment. Then I would convince myself that they still loved me. But that day….the day I ran away….everything just snapped. I just...couldn't take it anymore." Harry shrugged helplessly.

Just then, Neville burst into the room, waving a copy of the daily prophet triumphantly. "It worked! It worked!" He shouted, gleefully.

Harry and Voldemort went to Neville's side and read the newspaper.

**Brother of Boy-Who-Lived found dead! **

_In the early morning of August 2nd, Harry James Potter, brother of the boy-who lived, was found dead. His body was identified by his parents, who recognized the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. The body was badly burned, and an anonymous source says that there was some type of inscription on the corpse's chest. Lily and James Potter were not available to comment, but Albus Dumbledore released this comment saying _

"_It is very tragic that young Harry was killed. As we all know, Harry was Albus's twin, and they were very fond of each other. Voldemort probably tried to kidnap Albus, but poor Harry was caught in the cross-fire. This was also an attempt to injure Albus mentally. Please keep in mind that if you see any sign of suspicious activity around any important places to report it to the ministry straight away." _

_Harry James Potter was a sweet, shy young boy, who loved to play Quidditch, according to his godfather, Sirius Black. He would have turned out to be a fine young wizard, only second to his brother Albus. May he rest in peace. _

_Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet special correspondent. _

Harry turned away. For a few moments he was silent and then he said, "Uncle Padfoot was always the nicest. He gave me birthday presents and gave me Quidditch lessons. He treated Albus and I like equals. No favoritism at all."

Voldemort put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's all right Harry. You've got us now. And when we win this war, we can kill those Potters and Albus Dumbledore. You will have the honor of doing what you wish with them." He snarled. "I want the old man though. He made my life miserable enough, all those years ago."

Harry looked up, a strange look on his face. "I thought….I thought you weren't that interested in killing...more keeping the peace. I don't think that harming people is the right way forward, Dad."

There was a flicker of something in Voldemort's eyes. Annoyance? Anger? Was it….fear? 'No, why would he be afraid of me. I just find it's odd that he wants to kill my family….and the way he said it….'

Harry turned and walked out the door. "Com'n Nev, let's go and play Quidditch. See you later Dad." Harry and Neville walked out the door.

Once Voldemort was sure that they had gone, his face turned angry. "Foolish boy. Questioning my motives. I will make sure to exact my revenge on the light side."

He turned towards the window. "A good thing that he is on our side. He seems like a powerful boy."

END OF CHAPTER 4!

Sorry this one isn't as exciting. The next one will be, because it will be around 4 years later or so. And Voldemort's true intentions will become clearer….

Thank you to all that have followed and reviewed!


	5. What is the truth?

Chapter 5:

6 years later.

A dark figure crept through the open window. There slept an older man, with white hair, and a curled goatee. He was clutching his left arm unconsciously, even in his sleep. The figure removed his hood and revealed black, shaggy hair, and bright green eyes. He took out his wand.

As he levelled it at the man, he called out softly, "Karkaroff…." The older man woke with a start.

"Nooo…." He moaned. "Of course I have to get the dangerous one."

The assassin narrowed his eyes. "Are you calling my brother weak?"

The man nearly fell out of his bed, in his hurry to get up. Karkaroff knelt at the assassins feet, bowing on the floor. "I did not mean it that way...I was simply praising you."

The assassin looked disgusted at Karkaroff's grovelling. "I do not care for what you have to say. You know what is about to happen. You betrayed our cause to the light side, for a hiding place and no Azkaban. You must pay for your betrayal."

Karkaroff looked up at the assassin. "Harry…." He tried.

The assassin kicked him in the stomach. "You have no right to call me that. You gave up that right when you betrayed me, and my father. I trusted you. You were one of my favorite teachers. I suppose you told them my identity as well?" The assassin sneered.

Karkaroff shook his head. "You know that we are bound by the unbreakable oath to not tell who you and Neville are. All they know is that the Dark lord has two heirs."

The assassin fell silent. "Karkaroff...Any final words?"

Karkaroff looked sadly at the assassin. "You used to be such a bright boy….Happy…What happened? I hope you know that….that your parents miss you beyond belief." At this the assassin snarled, and turned away. He kicked the wall, and made a hole in it.

Karkaroff continued. "Don't you realise what the dark lord has done to you? He has corrupted you and Neville. That was his plan all along I suppose…." He shook his head, and looked up at the assassin remorsefully. "Harry, I am honored to have been your teacher. I changed to the light side because I realised the Dark Lords true intentions. Just remember this, he is not what he says he is. Now do your worst."

The assassin looked at the man in silence. "I will spare you the pain I had originally planned out. You were a good teacher and friend. **Avada Kedavra**." A green light filled the dark room, and when it was dark once more, the man lay slumped on the floor.

Harry Potter looked once more at the dead body, his eyes full of sadness. "Please forgive me. I am merely doing my fathers word."

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"Harry! HARRY! Wake up!" Neville yelled, jumping up and down on Harry's king sized bed. He was in Harry's room, trying to wake him up. When Harry was asleep, a hurricane could go on, and he wouldn't wake up.

"Uhhh? Mun...moo…" Harry mumbled, hiding his head under the pillows.

"Harry! It's your birthday! You're 17!" Neville yelled in his ear.

"Don't...care….wanna sleep….Nev….leave."

Neville thought for a while, before an evil grin crept onto his face. "Ok, Harry have it your way."

Neville crept into Harry's bathroom, and returned, carrying a large basin of water. He then promptly poured it over Harry.

"WAAHHH!" Harry spluttered. He then grabbed for his wand blindly, and pointed it at the bed. It was instantly dry, and Harry lay down to sleep again, snuggling into the soft blankets.

Neville sighed. "Well this might get you interested. Father has a new assignment for you. Said this one was for stealth, killing, you know, the usual. No talking."

Harry jumped out of bed immediately. "Where?"

Neville shrugged. "He says he wants you to lead the attack on Hogsmeade. I have to accompany you, but I already had my turn with Aldroch."

Aldroch was a central wizarding town just outside of Wales. Voldemort had tried to make peace with that village and tried to get them to join his cause, but they hadn't agreed. So, he sent Neville over with a large force. Neville was pretty good at diplomacy, and could pursued people to do almost anything. In the end, Aldroch had agreed to support them, after a vote by the majority of the citizens. The light side had tried to get them back, but each time Aldroch would show a bit of hesitancy in sending over new recruits, Neville would be sent over again, and charm their doubts away.

Harry got an excited gleam in his eyes. "Really? Ok, I need you to send Bellatrix to me. I have to get her to…." Harry proceeded to order the rest of the household around in preparation for the attack. Finally, he returned to his quarters to get dressed.

First, it was his dragonskin boots. They were very rare, as they had been made out of the hide of a Hungarian Horntail, whose hides could almost bounce of any jinx. They were Harry's favorite part of his fighting gear. Next was a black t-shirt that was light and regulated the person's body temperature. The same with his black trousers. Then was his cape, which was fastened by a pure gold clasp. Harry looked at himself in the mirror. For 15, he was very tall, and moved with the gracefulness of a tiger. His hair, still a slightly bit curly hung over his eyes. However inconvenient it was to have to flick his hair out of his face, he did it so that he could cover up that stupid scar. His green eyes still glowed as brightly as ever.

Harry reached into a small box on the side of his table. Inside was a silver mask, with ornate carvings in it. It was very thin, and was goblin-made. The mask did not affect Harry's vision in any way, it just covered his face. Besides the blood potion, Harry still looked very much like himself. He had often asked Voldemort why the blood potion had not worked as well on him as it had on Neville, but that question was never answered.

The only part visible through the mask were his green eyes. During assignments, they glowed bright and cold, as if they could see through the person's very soul. But back at home, when he was with his family, his eyes were like spring; Happy, full of life, and no hint of sadness or regret.

There was a knock on his door. "Come in." Harry called. His voice had deepened a lot, but it still held that slight element of mischievousness.

Bellatrix entered. She had become like a mother to Harry in these past years. "Harry, your father wants to see you just before you leave. He has a present for you."

Harry ran his fingers through his curly hair. "Urgh…Forgot that it is my 15 birthday. Er….well...the raid doesn't start for another hour….can you just please tell him to wait 30 minutes? Um….there's something I have to do."

Bellatrix smirked. "What, to powder your nose? All right Sleeping Beauty, I'll tell him." She bowed her way out of the door, laughing.

Harry smirked, and just as she was out of the door, muttered a spell. The door banged shut, and you could hear, "Ouch! That was my nose you evil child!"

Harry chuckled, and then made his way over to his window. Out of his pocket, he took a miniaturized version of a firebolt. Muttering a spell, he enlarged it, and then jumping out of the window, he zoomed off.

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Hermione Granger waited nervously in the small woods, just beside her house. She was shivering. All of a sudden, a playful voice sounded in her ear.

"Forgot to pack an extra layer Mione?" Hermione spun around and was met with the sight of a young man, with sparkling green eyes and curly black hair.

"Harry!" She threw her arms over him. He grinned and hugged her back.

"You idiot! You know how much I've missed you?" Hermione said, grinning. "I waited every day at 4 o'clock in this woods."

"Sorry Mione. Things have gotten busy at my place. Now, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about your….offer. You know, the one where you said that I should join you...on the dark side….." She looked nervous.

Harry grinned. "And? Dumbledore's a lying old coot. My parents are despicable. I can guarantee that my father does not want to harm you. What better offer could you get?"

Hermione watched him concerned. "Look, Harry when I met you 3 years ago, in the forbidden forest, you were a completely different person. You comforted me about not having any friends. You ARE my friend. Well...more then a friend." She said, blushing.

Harry chuckled and hugged her. "I missed you, Mione. Nev and Dad can be a bore some times. Strategy...training...etc etc. But you….you understand me. Anyway, your answer is….?"

Hermione shook her head. Inside she knew her answer. She would go wherever Harry would go. She loved him more then anything. Although she might question what side he was on, she would support him. That didn't mean that she would go completely dark….more she would try to get him to see what the light side was for. Harry had changed so much. Not that she was put off by the change. He had just become more immersed in the hate he had for his family.

"Harry….I want to go with you. I just don't want any part of the killing, torturing, raids, strategy….I just want to be by your side."

Harry smiled widely. "Well then Mione, what are you waiting for! Jump on the broom, o' girlfriend of mine." Harry said, motioning to the broom. "Oh and before I forget, will you marry me?"

The question just popped out of nowhere. Harry's grin faltered. "Er….Um….That was not meant to happen...I've just been thinking about it and it just popped out! I understand, I mean we're only 17, way to young, um, so… Mmph!" Harry's rambeling was cut of by a kiss from Hermione.

She grinned at him and said "Hadrian Riddle, do you know how long I've been waiting for that! You already hinted it so many times! I thought I would have to propose myself. But anyway, no marriage till after the war is over."

Harry beamed. "I didn't think you'd actually say yes! YES! YES! I'm going to get married…..in like 5 years but still! I'M MARRYING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL INTELLIGENT GIRL IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!" He crowed, jumping up and down like a little kid.

Suddenly his expression became serious. "Look, Mione, I don't know how my father will react to this. Also, I have a raid and…." He looked at his watch and cursed. "Shoot! It's been 45 minutes! Dad's going to kill me!" He swung himself onto the broom, and helped Hermione on. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"Go slow please. You know I hate heights." She said.

Harry smiled mischieviously. "Sorry Mione, no such thing as going slow when you're late for a meeting with the Dark Lord." With that, he zoomed off into the sky.

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Harry jumped of his broom and ran into the great hall, Hermione just behind him. He opened the door and said, "Father, allow me to present to you, Hermione Jean Granger, my fiancee."

Neville and Voldemort who were standing nearby, stopped mid conversation and gaped at Harry. Hermione nervously sidled in and whispered fiercely, "Way to go Harry. If I get crucioed, this is ALL YOUR FAULT."

Voldemort was the first to recover. He strode over to Hermione and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Hermione. My name is Tom Riddle. You probably know me as Lord Voldemort."

Hermione stared at the hand in shock. Then, tentatively she reached out and shook it. A nervous smile blossomed on her face. "I'm Hermione."

Voldemort chuckled. "Yes, my son announced that very clearly a few seconds ago. Now, Harry when were you going to tell us about this?"

Harry then launched into the story about how he and Hermione had met. They had met 6 years ago, as Harry had been scouting the perimeter of Hogwarts. She had been just outside the boundaries, crying her eyes out. When he asked her what was wrong, she had jumped back, wand in hand.

"_Who are you! I….I know spells. I will fight!"_ She then proceeded to throw a few spells at him, which he promptly dodged.

"_I am Hadrian Riddle. Pleased to make your acquaintance."_ And from there, their friendship had progressed. They had always met up, every week, for an hour, Hogwarts or no Hogwarts. They had become so close, that when Harry had finally told her who he was, she hadn't even flinched.

"_So let me get this straight. You were Harry James Potter, the missing twin, but now your the Dark Lord's son?" _

And it had all led up to this day.

Neville studied her closely. "Who is your allegiance to?"

Hermione's simple answer was, "Harry."

Voldemort and Neville looked at her in shock. "Not to the light side?"

"I don't know their true intentions. I don't know yours. I will stay with Harry wherever he goes, but I won't harm any side, whatever he is on, until I am sure what they mean to do."

Voldemort studied her carefully. "Well….One more question. What is your blood status?"

Hermione looked at Harry nervously, who drew her close and put an arm around her protectively. "Father, you told me…"

Hermione blurted out. "Muggleborn."

Voldemort sighed. "Well, my son's too rebellious to marry a pureblood. I was hoping for a half-blood, but since that's not going to happen, I suppose you will do."

Harry looked relieved. He placed a soft kiss on top of Hermione's head.

"Now son, I believe you have a raid to go on. I will give you my present later."

Harry looked up in surprise. "Oh shoot!"

He raced out of the room, Neville close behind yelling, "Mione! Go to my room! I'll see you later!"

Hermione sighed. It was just like Harry to forget that she was standing in the room with the supposed most evil dark lord in the world. Oh well.

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Harry narrowed his eyes through his silver mask. Behind him, were a dozen death eaters, all waiting for a signal.

Then Harry saw it. 5 order members strolling through the street. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley and Arthur Weasley. It was perfect.

He sent a stream of green sparks in the air, and with a flash, Death Eaters converged onto the street. Harry yelled at them, "NO KILLING OR MAIMING JUST SCARING REMEMBER! ONLY ORDER MEMBERS!"

Soon the street was filled with bellowed voices and screams. Harry leapt into action, sending spells at different people.

Then he saw him. "Shit." Was Harry's only coherent thought. "What's he doing here?" And there onto the scene walked Albus Dumbledore.

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James and Lily smiled down at Albus. A fine young man. In the past few years, he had grown much more mature and much less spoiled. He had even come to mourn the brother he had treated so unfairly.

Albus grinned. "Hey, Dad, Ron's coming over in a bit. Can I take my Firebolt out with him?"

"Sure, Albie. Just don't break it like you did with your Nimbus.

"Yes mum." He raced outside to the shed to start practicing.

Lily sat down on the sofa. A tear rolled down her face.

James sat down and hugged her.

"He would be starting his seventh year. He was a clever boy...wasn't he? We should have payed more attention to him. What idiots we are." Lily said, sobbing into James's chest.

James stroked her hair soothingly. "Lils, we need to move on. I miss him every day, but what can we do? Harry….Harry taught us a valuable lesson. We realised how Albus was acting, and now look at us. Rosie is a bright young girl, who has never seen a cloudy day in her life. Theo couldn't be more happy either."

Lily had been pregnant at the time of Harry's disappearance.

With twins. Again.

So when Rosie Minerva Potter, and Theodore Remus Potter had been born, they had vowed for them never to be overshadowed or neglected because of their brother. Albus as well had learned a few hard lessons, but in the end, he had become a fine young man.

Lily straightened up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress. "You're right. I will never forgive myself, but for Albus, Rosie and Theo, I will move on."

Just then the floo flared and Remus staggered into the sitting room. He had a bloody wound on his leg, and was incredibly pale. Lily gasped and helped him to lie down onto the sofa.

"Attack…Hogsmeade...Death Eaters….Heir….Need...Help…" Remus managed to choke out before he fell unconscious.

James ran to the floo. "I will kill this bloody heir! He's hurt everyone I care about! He probably killed Harry!" And with that, he spun out of sight and towards Hogsmeade.

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Harry strode up to Albus Dumbledore.

"Well, old man, wanna duel? Let's see if you've lost your touch." Harry sneered. He could still remember the old man ignoring him in favor of Albus. He had been taunted about that by Albus because he was "An ordinary wizard who was invisible next to the greatest wizard of all time."

Dumbledore eyed him. "Who are you?" He said softly.

Harry grinned underneath his mask. "Let's just say I have an old score to settle with you." Then with a flick of his hand, he shot sectumsempra at Dumbledore. He blocked it easily and retaliated with a more powerful curse. Harry's shield came up instantly. Soon, the air between them was flying with multicolored curses. Dumbledore was starting to sweat, and Harry had a grime covered face. But on they duelled. Then, from out the corner of his eye, he spotted the Auror reinforcements. The raid was over.

Harry shot up blue sparks. That was the signal to retreat. He spun away from Dumbledore, and ran through the fights, yelling "Death Eaters, retreat!"

Behind him, Lucius Malfoy ran. When he caught up to Harry he chuckled and said, "What happened to the more subtle leaving?"

"I have a flair for dramatics."

Suddenly, a scream pierced through the air. Harry narrowed his eyes. Looking around for the source of the scream, his eyes zeroed on Bellatrix. She was being held under some type of curse, that was obviously causing her a lot of pain.

Harry raced towards her. He knelt by her side. "Bella? Are you ok? Who is it?" He growled.

Bellatrix's eyes widened and she choked out, "There….careful…"

Harry turned around and met the eyes of James Potter.

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"Remus, what happened?" Lily asked when Remus awoke again.

He groaned and looked at his leg which was covered in bandages. "That's not going to be pretty during full moon."

Lily grimaced. If Remus ever got hurt, and didn't heal before full moon, he had a tendency to make the wound even worse, by scratching at it or something.

Remus sat up. "I don't know Lils. One minute me and the rest of the patrol were just...well patrolling, and the next, there were Death Eaters everywhere. I was hit by a sectumsempra, Tonks bundled me into the nearest fireplace, and I was here! Oh gosh, is she ok? I need to get back to her!" Remus tried to get up in vain.

Lily tried to soothe him. "It's all right Remus, Tonks is fine. I'm sure she'll come here when the raid is over."

Lily looked nervously out the window. It was starting to get dark, and clouds had gathered in the sky.

Not a very good omen.

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"YOU!" James snarled full of hate. "The dark heir."

Harry was pale underneath his mask. He hadn't expected such a feeling of remorse when he met the eyes of his father. James had been momentarily taken aback by the green glow of them, but he had quickly gotten over it.

"Yes, me. What about it?" Harry said, trying to lighten up his voice.

James levelled his wand at Harry. "I want to ask you one question. Did or didn't you kill my son?"

Harry smirked. Time to play some games. "The chosen one is dead?"

James shook his head. "No, my other son. Harry James Potter." He whispered, his eyes filling up with tears. "The elder twin of Albus."

Harry frowned. James wasn't supposed to care for him. "Ohhhh, him. Well, he died a terrible death. Screaming and cursing. He was burnt alive. He kept on saying, "Mummy, Daddy, please find me, please! I will be a better boy, I'll be like Albus! Just please care! He was completely delirious with pain by the time he died."

Harry was of course describing what he had felt during his time with the Potters. He had been in so much pain with all the ignoring.

James started to sob a bit. "You son of a bitch. I'll kill you for that! YOU KILLED MY HARRY!"

"YOUR, Harry. I was under the impression that he ran away because he was unhappy."

James shot a nasty spell, which Harry deflected easily. "I just wish he were alive. I just want to say….Sorry for being such a bad father."

Harry cried in rage, and shot a blasting spell at his father. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF HIS FATHER AFTER WHAT YOU DID!"

James looked at him in confusion, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He had hit the wall hard, and Harry had heard in satisfaction that something had cracked.

"Huh? Why do you care, you filthy piece of worthless scum?"

That remark hit to close to home. Harry had always felt worthless and unwanted, and although Lily and James had never said it, he knew that they had thought it.

Harry saw red. "AVADA-"

Just then, a huge burst of light came, and hit Harry. He hit the ground cold.

Just behind him stood Albus Potter, eyes glowing with rage at the heir.

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"We have the dark heir, Albus captured him." Lily told James as soon as he woke up. He had fainted when the rescue services came.

James shook his head groggily. "Have they unmasked him yet? I want to see the face of my son's killer."

Lily's face went pale. "You mean….he killed Harry?"

"Yes." James growled.

Lily had tears coming out of her eyes. She helped James get up, and then both of them went to the sitting room.

There stood the dark heir, tied up with ropes. He was still unconscious, but had his mask on. All around him were the order members.

Dumbledore walked up to Lily and James. "Sit down James. I trust you are feeling better? Now, I shall wake up the dark heir, and then we shall question him."

Dumbledore walked up to the heir and said, "**Ennerverte." ** The dark heirs eyes flew open, and he started to struggle once he realised where he was.

"No, don't...Let me go!" He yelled as Dumbledore neared closer, his hand reaching to pull of the mask.

Dumbledore's hand wavered just as he was about to pull the mask of, and he said, "James, Lily, would one of you like to do it? Perhaps you should know the face of your son's killer."

James got up. "I'll do it." He said grimly.

James reached for the mask, as the dark heir spat and cursed, wriggling around desperately trying to get away.

James looked into those emerald green eyes just before he pulled of the mask. There was something….familiar about them.

James's hand grasped the lightweight mask, and pulled it off, not caring that the light metal scraped against the skin of the dark heir. He wanted to hurt the man who killed his son.

And there, stood Harry James Potter, because even with the blood potion, he still looked a lot like a Potter.

Lily screamed, and James backed away. Albus, who had recently been initiated into the order, started forward.

"Hey! What are you trying to do? Scare us or something? WE KNOW THAT YOU AREN'T HARRY!" He roared.

Harry smirked. "Actually, dear order members, I am Harry James Potter, but I prefer the name Hadrian Riddle."

Lily started forward, sobbing, arms open, but James pulled her back. "Shush Lils. We don't know if it's actually him. Somebody, administer the veritism."

Harry's eyes widened. If they gave him the veritism, they could learn that Neville was alive, and all of the Dark Lord's secrets. He strained against his bonds, desperately trying to get out.

Severus Snape came forward, his face pained. Harry spat in his face. "YOU!"

Snape looked guilty. "I'm sorry Harry, but it is for the best. I...I have been playing the role of the spy for years now."

Harry looked disgusted. "And to think, I thought of you as an Uncle. Everyone these days is turning!" He said, exasperated besides the seriousness of the situation

James looked mutinous. "You knew who he was?"

Snape looked at him distastefully. "We were bound under the unbreakable vow if we told who Harry was. I didn't want to lose my life betraying the Dark Lord, and Harry, who seemed really happy where he was."

Remus came forward, once seeing James's horrified expression that his son might be happy with the Dark Lord. "Just administer the Veritism."

Snape's face darkened. "Alright."

Harry struggled, but to no avail. His eyes fell blank.

Dumbledore stepped forward. "What is your name?"

"Hadrian Riddle."

Dumbledore sighed. "What is your birth name?"

"Harry James Potter."

James's face broke into the biggest of grins, and Lily started to sob. Albus just looked surprised. Then he grinned. "Oh gosh! MY BROTHERS ALIVE!" He whooped.

Dumbledore cast a glance at the happy family. "I just have to ask a bit more. He has important information….and who knows. We have to be careful. This is Voldemort's heir we're talking about."

"Who are your parents?"

Harry seemed to struggle. "Lord Voldemort. Bellatrix Lestrange is the mother figure in my life."

There was an ominous silence. Every eye turned to the Potter family, who all looked horrified.

Lily burst into a fresh set of tears. "Harry, Harry, I know we were wrong, I am sorry, but he's not your father….and that evil women is definitely not your mother!"

Harry seemed to struggle to break through the haze of Veritism. "You abandoned me. You didn't care. I….You aren't my parents!" He relapsed into the silence induced by Veritism.

"Who are your birth parents?"

"Lily and James Potter."

Everyone sighed with relief.

Who is your brother?

Even under the veritism, everyone could see that Harry was panicking.

Dumbledore looked suspicious, and asked again more forcefully, "Who is your brother?"

"Ne...Neville…...Longbottom…..Riddle….."

Alice and Frank Longbottom looked horrified. "You mean, our son….ran away to….him?"

Alice burst into tears.

"Administer the antidote Severus." Dumbledore ordered.

When Harry was normal again, he started to curse.

"Damn. Oh dammit. Oh….." Then he remembered Hermione. "Oh….Shit." Harry muttered. Had they asked him who he was friends with? He could remember them asking who his brother was…..but that was it. If they heard that Hermione had willingly gone over to the dark side….well she was done for. And she had wanted to finish her last year at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore gazed at Harry. He remembered the quiet boy Harry had been. But that display of power that he had had when he had duelled him…..and Dumbledore wasn't even sure if that was his full power potential. Albus only had a minimum amount of power, not anything special. Could it be possible that he had made a mistake? Nonsense, otherwise Voldemort would have killed him straight away. But surely…...Dumbledore shook his head. Albus was the chosen one, he told himself forcefully.

Everyone had been babbling about what Harry had told them under the Veritism.

"Already forgotten about me then?" Harry muttered under his breath. "Like usual."

"No, Harry, we never forgot you."

Harry whipped his head around so fast, something cracked. He had been staring straight ahead in such deep thought that he hadn't noticed Lily creep up on one side of him. Harry made a mental note to work on sensing his surroundings.

"What do you want?" He spat out.

Lily's eyes were bright with tears.

"Harry, we never forgot about you….Please remember that. After you left, we searched everywhere. And that body….was very convincing."

Harry's eyes hardened. "It's Mr. Riddle to you, please."

Lily just wanted to sob and hug Harry. He had changed so much, she thought fondly. His cheekbones were higher, and….wait a minute. Harry never had that type of face or cheekbones before? Lily, who was an expert in potions, could recognise and illegal blood potion anywhere. Was it possible that Harry had taken one? But then, by default, his eyes and nose should be much more different. They were still….Lily frowned. This was confusing.

Lily furrowed her eyebrows. "Harr- Mr. Riddle, did you by any chance take an illegal blood potion?"

Harry's eyes grew triumphant. "Maybe…." He replied smugly.

Lily grew worried. If this was the type of blood potion she thought it was, then that would mean that Harry would be tied to whoever had lead the ritual. That would mean that if Harry ever tried to change sides, or in other words betray the person he was tied to, he would die.

Lily hurried away to tell Dumbledore. Harry looked at her in confusion. One minute she had been staring at him happily, and the next she was gone. Just like the old days, he thought and sighed unhappily. He wanted to get home. To Hermione. To Neville. To his father. But at the moment, he was stuck here, in the place where his most horrible memories had happened.

Everyone had started to filter out of the living room, casting him nervous smiles and grins. One gangly red-headed freckled person came up to him nervously.

"Hi...um, I'm Ron." The redhead said nervously.

Harry looked at him. He recognized that name….aha! There it was. He was Hermione's only friend at school. Harry decided to be nice to him.

"Hi Ron. I'm Hadrian, or more commonly known as Harry. Pleased to meet you." Harry said, chuckling at Ron's dumbfounded expression.

"Er...well...I just wanted to say that… You can remove those ropes now, you know. They disabled the binding after you took the veritism."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. And nobody had bothered tell him that? They had just let him sit here like an idiot? He got up, and the ropes fell off easily. They had taken his wand of him of course, but they didn't know that he could use wandless magic.

"Thanks….Ron. Why did you tell me this?"

Ron chuckled embarrassedly. "Well, my brothers, Fred and George dared me to talk to you. And plus, you were looking pretty uncomfortable."

Harry grinned. He was already beginning to like Ron. Then he shook his head. He couldn't afford to make friends. He was going to get home, and having any friends here would only hinder his ability during a fight.

"Thank you Ron. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go find a…" Harry wracked his brains for a good excuse to get out of the living room. " Bedroom." He finished lamely.

"Alright….thanks for not blasting me away! Fred, George, you owe me 5 sickles!" He shouted as he hurried away.

Harry stretched. Then, making sure that nobody could hear him, he crept out of the spacious living room, and into the hallway. If he could remember correctly there was a secret room just down the hall that he had used all the time. In there should be some of the stuff he had stolen from Albus's daily amount of presents from fans. Money, training wands, brooms. Harry had only taken what Albus had deemed unworthy of his attention.

Harry scanned the brick wall for the telltale carving. There! And….

"Harry!" James came up to him grinning. "Er...your mother and I….and Dumbledore need to talk to you."

"You are not my parents." Harry said coldly as he followed James into the kitchen, leaving a deflated James behind.

"Harry…." Dumbledore said. "Please….sit down." He gestured to one of the chairs. Harry remained standing.

"Very well. It seems that you have taken a blood potion. Am I correct?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry grinned. "Yes. It made Tom Riddle my father, and blood relative. I do not belong to any part of the Potters anymore, besides that they are listed as my birth parents."

Dumbledore sighed. "Ah, but you see Harry, there are several things that I do not think Voldemort told you about this blood potion. First. If you ever try to betray him, you will die."

Harry reeled back in shock. The fact that Voldemort had not told him, and that he had actually done that, spoke volumes. Could it be that Voldemort was only….no. Harry told himself firmly. He cares for you and Neville. Stop thinking about him.

"You're lying." Harry said defiantly.

"No, I am not. Second, and this is actually good news, the blood potion didn't work on you."

"WHAT?" Harry yelped. "But then...how come...huh? That's not...my looks! And she just said..." He pointed at Lily.

Dumbledore smiled grimly. "Ah yes, your facial features. I believe that when Voldemort realised that the blood potion didn't work on you, he put a permanent glamor on you. He, in other words changed your features permanently. He also must have put the magic signature on you that signifies that type of blood potion, to avoid questions. It was only once I looked at the signature more closer, that I realised that it was fake, and just a disguised permanent glamor."

"But then why do I still look more like myself?" Harry asked.

"Because permanent glamor can only change a few aspects of your face, and only give you what you could have inherited. So, you still look like yourself, but with a few things that you that you could have inherited from your family. So, those high cheekbones would most likely have come from James's side of the family, as they are purebloods. Basically, Voldemort must have changed your features until you looked most like him."

"But….my eyes and my hair!"

Dumbledore frowned. "Yes….I don't know. Sometimes permanent glamor doesn't work unless the person who it is being cast on wants it to. So, you must have still wanted to look like your parents."

"I don't want to look like the Potters at all. My eyes remind me everyday of one particular memory." Harry spat.

James and Lily looked hurt. "But Harry, why did you want to look like….him? How could you even look like….him?"

Harry looked at them amused. "Do you remember the last time you saw me? I came running towards you, trying desperately to tell you something. You didn't listen. You didn't care. Well, anyways, what I was trying to say was that I had been kidnapped by Lord Voldemort. He offered me a home, for which reason I will not say. And, since you already know Neville is alive, well, basically, he found Neville, who ran away and took him under his wing. My father," Here James started to choke on the water he had been sipping. " Showed me more affection, more care, more attention than anyone had in a few years. After your...ahem display of not even noticing I was gone, I realised that I had no future with you. I have been more than happy in the care of my father." Harry finished, satisfied with the horrified and embarrassed looks on James, Lily and Dumbledore's faces.

"Anyway, I must be off. Thanks for capturing me, and not so nice seeing you all again." With that, Harry muttered a bombarda curse under his breath, and raised his hands, only to see, with horror that they had two white bracelets circling them.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah, yes, we have learned from a certain...ah _source _that you could do wandless magic. These white bracelets cannot be taken off until you cooperate. Yes, you can still perform magic with a wand." He added, after seeing Harry's murderous face. "But you don't have one."

Harry glared at him. "I suppose you'll be keeping me prisoner? Where, in the dungeons?" He taunted.

"No, you will be staying here with the Potters, until the school year comes around when you will go to Hogwarts."

"I think I preferred the dungeons." Harry muttered.

"Harry, can you remember where your old room was?" Lily asked timidly.

"What, the attic?" Harry snapped.

"Well, we did a few conversions to it after you left. You see…..it kind of became dedicated to you. Sort of like what you should have had. Anyway, it's a bit over the top, because it became a family project, but….well you can sleep there if you want." Lily finished.

Harry glared at them. Then he stomped over to the refrigerator, and started taking out masses of food. James looked at him amused. "Still have an appetite? I seem to remember that you used to eat like a bear every time meals came around."

Harry smirked. "No, it was just to get away from you guys. I couldn't bear being ignored, or being compared to. And no, I had a small refrigerator up there I stole from Albus once. I put a invisibility charm on it," Seeing his parents surprised looks, he added "I could do wandless magic from the age of nine. Anyway, I stored a lot in there. So just stocking up again. I don't want to have to eat dinner with you lot and Albus. Just think of it as me saving you lot from a lot of awkward moments." He said smugly.

Lily coughed. "Actually, Harry it wouldn't just be us and Albus. We….had another set of twins. Rosie and Theo."

Harry looked at her in disgust. "I suppose they're just as unhappy as I was?" He asked, feeling sorry for the twins. At least they have each other, he thought.

"Harry….." Lily said, not being able to bear the pain she was getting through Harry's remarks. "Harry, we never treated them badly. Harry, I know you can't forgive us straight away, but we are so sorry! Please, please come back to our family. You are a Potter, no matter what!" She said, fat tears rolling down her face.

Harry looked at her sharply. "I suppose you thought that everything would be fine and dandy, once you saw that I was still alive. You thought, yes, here is Harry, we have the chosen one, and now we can be one big happy family again. Oh joy. Well, hate to break it to you, but I will never, ever be a Potter again. Blood potion or not, I am a Riddle. I will stick to the family that protected me, loved me and told me the truth. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to settle myself into my old rooms again. Good bye Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter." Harry sneered.

He stalked out of the room, and as he turned, he saw Lily turning to James, sobbing. James had tears running down his face as well.

'Their not supposed to care.' Harry thought frustratedly. 'Dad told me that the Potters didn't care. He spied on them numerous times. And they didn't care!' Harry stalked up the stairs. 'I need to find an owl.' Harry thought. Get a message out.

He looked cautiously into Albus's room. It had tidied up a lot, and was much more simpler. If he could remember correctly, Albus had gotten a pet owl for his 10th birthday. It was right over….aha! An ebony owl, one of the rarest of it's kind was sitting on the windowsill. Finding a scrap of parchment lying on Albus's desk, he set the food down, and began to write.

_Dear Hermione, Dad and Nev,_

_Yes, I have been captured. Yes, I am at the Potter's. Yes, they are trying to keep me here. Dumbledore's put some type of magical bind on me so that I can't do wandless magic. I will be going to Hogwarts on the 1st of September. No use in trying to get me out once I'm there. Try and get me out now. You've got one month. Ok, the wards are incredibly strong, but there's no other choice. Hermione, go back home, pretend to go on with your summer. If I get rescued, I'll send you an owl, and come pick you up. If not, go to Hogwarts, and I'll meet you there. Which house are you in? I'll get myself sorted into that one. Then there is no excuse that we will become friends. Oh, and then we can find a way to get out. I bet there is some sort of passageway. If you want to contact me again, don't use Nagini. They have put crazy wards on here. I tested them with my mind power. Good thing they haven't stopped that. There is nothing getting through, except things that are either allowed in, or aren't thinking any type of harm to the family. You'll need some crazy magic on this thing. If you want to contact me, send back an owl, with a message that only I can read, addressed to the attic. (Not as bad as it sounds by the way.) Hopefully I'll read it before they find it. _

_Hermione, don't freak out love. I'm fine. Apparently they've "changed". By the way, what type of ring do you want? I was thinking a diamond, but that's just too normal. What about wizard's rock? Very rare. _

_Salutations from the Potter household, _

_Harry Riddle. _

Harry looked around and whispered to the owl, "take this to Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton." The owl flew off, and Harry with a sigh made his way up the attic stairs. He settled down on the now comfy bed, and began to snore, forgetting all his worries.

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Hermione looked at the letter worriedly. "How can he talk about wedding rings! He's been captured! Oh gosh! Oh no! I hope he's ok!" She proceeded to rant about how reckless men were, until Neville coughed.

"Oh...sorry. Um, just one question. What's Wizard's rock?" Hermione asked, blushing slightly.

"Wizard's rock is a very rare type of stone. It looks like a diamond, but on a full moon, it sends out little shafts of light towards the sky, in the dark. Anyway, I better get you home. Follow me." Neville said calmly. His insides were in a turmoil though. Harry had been captured!

Voldemort watched the two go out of the room, before his face grew angry. "My plans are being ruined! First the blood potion, and now this! And of course the stupid Mudblood girl doesn't exactly help. If Harry finds out the truth before…."

"I must get him out. Without him, I cannot succeed anything. Years of planning will go to waste."

Voldemort turned and faced the window.

"He is the end and beginning of a new age. Or so the prophecy said. He is the only one who can destroy me. He is the only one that can help me. I MUST keep him safe." He mumbled incoherently.

"Then, once I have him, nothing can stop me from gaining the power I need."

End of chapter 5.

This was a pretty long chapter, so it might be a week again before the next chapter is up. Read and Review. Thanks!

I do not own any part of the Harry Potter franchise.


	6. Padfoot and Padlet

Harry woke up with a start "Urgh." He grumbled as he realised where he was. Potter Manor. Not at Riddle Manor, with Hermione, Neville and his father. He was in the place he had hated for so long.

Harry jumped out of bed, ran down the stairs. He had to get to that secret passage before anyone woke up! He crept down the corridor and to the brick wall that held the door. He touched the symbol and….

Was assaulted by two bundles of pyjamas and hair.

"Arrrhhhhhggg! We got you now, Death Eater scum!" The boy, who had messy strawberry blond hair growled. His eyes were hazel and held the same type of mischief that James's Potter's once had. He looked pretty normal, but Harry could see a huge scar peeping out of his shirt.

They both looked up at him and frowned, identically.

"Dad! I thought we told you never to come into our secret hideout! It's for 5 year old's only!" The girl cried, who had Lily's red curls, which was a messy mane cascading down her back. Her eyes were a strange blue, deep, almost violet, and her skin was as pale as Harry's, with a slight pink tinge on her cheeks.

Harry almost snarled when they thought that he was James. It was one thing to say that Death Eaters were scum but…..

Both of them looked up at Harry, and realization dawned on their faces. At the same time Harry realised who they were, and took a step backwards. They took a step forwards.

"Your our brother...aren't you!" The girl said, excitedly. "Harry…. right? Mum and Dad talk about you all the time! I'm Rosie." She stuck out her hand and nudged her brother, who had his mouth wide open.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Theodore, but call me Theo please." He said shyly.

Harry stared at his two newfound siblings. "Pleased to meet you." He said, cursing the day that he had been born with manners. Why couldn't he just walk away and not meet them? What if he had to kill them one day?

Theo looked at him admiringly. "Dad told us that you…..are really cool. He said that when they looked at your room after you left, that they found tons of essays, and books, and diaries, and a pensieve! And they told us that you were really awesome! And that they looked at that stuff, and saw that you were really smart! And that...and that you died. But now your alive again. And…." Theo lapsed into an awed silence, not realising that Harry was the heir to the dark lord, and was a threat to them all.

Harry looked at Theo in shock. 'They found my pensieve?' Harry winced. It held all his worst memories and best memories. A sort of day to day diary in a way.

"If you'll excuse me…..I must go and….find your father and mother." Harry said formally not wanting to upset the young boy by being rude.

Theo looked at him shyly. "Um, in an hour, Dad said that I could play Quidditch. Can you come too?"

Harry gaped at him. This boy wanted him to be there for a Quidditch match? 'No emotional attachments' He told himself sternly. "Er….maybe I'll just watch." He said, and turned away abruptly, leaving two 5 year olds behind him, mouths hanging open with wonder.

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Harry stormed into the living room, intending to find any type of weapon. He needed to get out of here! He stopped abruptly. There sat James and Lily Potter, both asleep. Harry frowned. Why hadn't they slept in their bedroom? Then he saw it. His pensieve. The one that he had stolen from Albus, many years ago. He had about 10 at the time, and was complaining about the un-originality of the gifts. Harry who hadn't received anything for his birthday or for Christmas, thought it was only fair that he stole it. Anyway, it contained precious memories. Harry growled. They must have looked at it.

He grabbed the pensieve and took it up to his room. He looked at it, and then with a sigh, delved into his 11 year old and younger memories.

_Flashback. _

"_Mummmeeee!" Albus whined. "I want…..ice-cweam!" _

_Albus and Harry were now 5 years old. Harry, who sat in the corner of the living room, lifted his head out of his book with a jerk. He smiled. Maybe he would get some ice-cream too! _

"_Yes, mummy, please, ice-cream!" Harry crowed. _

_Lily looked at Albus and Harry, casting a loving glance at both of them. This was one of the good days, Harry thought eagerly. _

"_Alright then. Only one scoop though." Lily said, amused. She got up, and returned with two bowls of ice-cream in hand. _

_Albus grinned, and tucked in. Harry waddled forward, as his mother placed his bowl on the high table, forgetting that Harry couldn't reach it yet. Harry glanced at his mother frustrated. Couldn't she see that he was trying to get it? He jumped up and down, trying to reach the bowl. _

_Harry growled. He would get that ice-cream! He told himself determinedly. Then his face brightened. "Acco!" He tried, using the spell he had heard his parents use. Didn't work. "Accio!" He said, forcefully. The bowl soared from the table and into Harry's outstretched hands. He looked up triumphantly at his mother, to see whether she had noticed. And she had. _

"_Oh! Albus! You can do wandless spells!" She cooed. Harry frowned. He had done it, not Albus. _

_Harry muttered the spell again. "Accio!" And the bowl bonked his mother on the head, and then zoomed back towards him. His mother turned around with angry eyes. _

"_Harry, stop trying to get all the attention!" She glared at him. Harry flinched. The look she gave him was one a mother should never give a child. And yet….there was something in those eyes. They were almost….glazed…..Harry shook himself. He had an angry mother to deal with. _

"_But...but I did the spell, Mommy." Harry whispered quietly. Lily looked at him pityingly._

"_Of course Harry dear. And pray, tell me, what was the spell's name?" Lily asked, chuckling at him, amused that he thought he could cast a wandless spell. Albus was the powerful one, not Harry. _

_Harry grinned. "Accio!" _

_Lily frowned. "Harry, you must have heard Albus say the spell. Now, Albus, what is the spell dear?" _

_Albus grinned goofily. He had just heard his brother say the word. And now his mother wanted him to say it. Easy peasy. "Accio!" _

_Lily beamed, and then turned to Harry, her face cold and impassive. "I am disappointed in you Harry. You know that your brother is more powerful than you. Stop trying to get all the attention. Your brother is more important than you. STOP trying to change that!" She snarled. _

_Harry's lower lip trembled. "I...I….but Mommy look! ACCIO!" Harry said with such a force that the bowl zoomed towards him. Harry's outstretched fingers just missed the bowl, and the bowl, full with ice cream, smashed into the curtains. They were pretty old ones, that Albus had torn, barfed on and ruined many times. He always seemed to get everything in the house dirty. _

_Harry grinned sheepishly at his mother. Surely she wouldn't mind if Albus did it all the time. "Sorry Mommy." _

_But Lily's face was a mask of rage. "You stupid brat." She snarled. "Those curtains were expensive! Not only did you ruin them, but you tried to outshine your brother. " _

_Harry started to get angry. His mother always got angry at him, not Albus! "Mommy, Albus does it all the time! Why do you get angry at me not him! Albus is stupid." Harry pouted childishly, using the word that his mother had just used. _

_Lily lunged. She slapped Harry across the face and said, "Never, ever call Albus stupid again, you insolent child…." Lily drifted off, and her eyes cleared. She looked at her hand in shock. Had she really just done that? What had come over her?_

_She turned to Harry. "Harry, dear…..wait!" But the damage was done. Harry fled from the room, clutching his cheek bawling his eyes out. He ran, and ran and ran, until he reached the secret room in which he hid. There he lay on the cold hard floor, sobbing his eyes out. _

_And nobody came looking for him. When Harry finally emerged, his dinner was in the kitchen, cold, dumped on the plate. . His parents were upstairs, reading a bedtime story to Albus._

_End Memory. _

Harry had enough. Even this one memory was sufficient to surface horrible, unhappy feelings.

He rose out of the pensieve and choked down a sob. His mother had never laid a hand on him again, although James had. It was never a beating, but a slap on the wrist, a shove, whatever it was, it always hurt. Anyway, Lily always made him feel bad in some way, by saying snide comments. Either way, Harry didn't want to see any more of his painful childhood today.

Harry sighed. What a miserable day. Suddenly he heard a noise downstairs and a roar. "Potter! Where is he!" Harry jumped up and started to race down the stairs. The only person who had ever cared about him was back. The man who had ended a friendship with his best friend because of the way Harry had been treated. The only type of father Harry had ever had until Voldemort.

Sirius had arrived.

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James woke up with a start. He and Lily had spent all night on the couch, rewatching the memories of Harry's childhood.

"Lily, darling wake up." James shook her gently.

"Mmm…" Lily groaned. She sat up, and stretched. Tear marks were still on her face from the night before. Lily always cried herself to sleep after she re-watched those memories.

James frowned. He was still thinking about those memories.

"Lils! I need you to clarify something for me. You can go up to bed afterwards." James said, picking up a notebook full of information they had.

"What is it Potter?" Lily groaned, and smiled cheekily.

James's forehead creased. "The clouded look in our eyes, the feelings…..Are you sure it had to be a potion? Not a curse?"

Lily sighed. "James, we've gone over this. The only way that it would have lasted that long, was if it had been a potion. A curse would have had to be reapplied almost every month, especially a curse as strong as the one that would be needed."

"But then, the potion…..I mean, those feeling only ever surfaced when Harry was around us!"

"Yes, it could be a dormant potion. One that only comes back when it is triggered. And that type of potion would have had to be slipped into our foods every year. So that means…."

"There's a traitor." James whispered.

"What I don't understand is who and why that person would have done it. I mean….Albus is the boy-who-lived, not Harry. Surely that person would have wanted Albus out of our grasp, right?"

James shook his head. He and Lily had been researching a matter. They had realised that something had been wrong with them during Harry's childhood. What they had discovered had shocked them beyond belief. There had been a type of potion in their bodies that had made them have negative feelings towards Harry. Lily had tested some of the samples they had of it, and found out that it was a dormant potion that only was activated when Harry was in the room. The potion made them aggressive, and have no feelings at all towards Harry. It made them favor the other child, Albus.

"We have to go to Dumbledore about this, Lils." James said worriedly.

Lily sighed. "I know. What about Harry?"

Before James could answer though, there was a huge banging on the door.

"Who is that?" James said, wondering who was knocking on their door so early.

He ran to the door, fearing the worst. Dumbledore dead, Remus dead. Only certain Ministry workers had access to their house, and they were the ones that usually brought the bad news. And only the Ministry workers used the front door.

James opened the door and…

Sirius practically ran over James in his hurry to get into the house. "POTTER! WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS MY GODSON!"

James gaped for a second. "Sirius?" He whispered, hardly believing his eyes. "PADDIE! PADFOOT! YOUR BACK!" He yelled, and tackled Sirius into a hug onto the floor.

Sirius shoved him off disgustedly. "Shut up Potter. I am not Padfoot to you. Where is Harry?"

James turned red. "Padfoot, we need to talk. Lily and I….we found something out about…."

A loud banging was heard on the stairs. Harry's green eyes peeked out from the mass of black curls obscuring his face. He had serious bed head in the mornings.

Harry grinned. "PADFOOT!" He yelled, and launched himself and Sirius. They hugged each other for a second, then broke apart.

Sirius beamed. "Padlet!"

James looked hurt. "Padlet? But….He's my son! Shouldn't he be Prongslet?"

Harry and Sirius turned to James at the same time, Harry's eyes burning into James with disgust.

"Shut up Potter. You yourself told me that Albus was your "Prongslet", and not Harry. You made that very clear by **slapping **Harry when he responded to the name. " Sirius snarled.

"Sirius is like a father to me. And although he refuses to join my father's cause, I'm sure he will one day." Harry said coldly to James, but elbowing Sirius cheekily, who just shook his head and poked Harry in the ribs, with a huge grin on his face. They hadn't seen each other for 4 years, after Harry had come to Sirius trying to persuade him to join the dark side.

Lily hurried into the room. Her face split into a grin. "Sirius!" She said, and raced over to give him a hug.

Sirius stopped her. "Lily, I do not want to hurt you. You know that I am absolutely disgusted with your behavior towards Harry over the years. DON'T come near me."

Lily looked disappointed and turned away. James tried again.

"Padfoot...please! Lily and I need to tell you something without…...Harry in the room."

Sirius sighed. "Cub, can you wait? Then we'll go to Grimmauld place. You can stay there."

Harry smiled grimly. "Sorry Sirius, gotta stay in this hell-hole. Besides, you know as well as I do that the wards aren't strong enough to hold me inside Grimmauld place. I would escape. Dumbledore will never allow it. And then you would have to come after me, and turn dark in order not to be killed!"

Sirius sighed dramatically. "True, true. I suppose you will have to stay here, so I can convince you to go light."

Harry chuckled. "Never happening, Pad. And just remember, when my father takes over there's a special place for you in the Death Eater ranks?"

James looked shocked. "Sirius….you're dark?" He whispered hoarsely.

Sirius turned his gaze on James. "I would never go dark, Potter. But just because I strongly disagree with Harry's loyalty, doesn't mean I'm going to terminate our relationship. I am more of a father to him than anyone else."

Harry raised his hand and opened his mouth but Sirius beat him to it. " And don't try and say that the evil so called father of yours really cares about you. You have got to change sides!" Sirius said urgently, after seeing Harry's protesting face.

Lily hurried forward and grabbed Sirius by the arm. "Sirius, please. This is urgent."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fine Lily. This better be quick. I have some catching up to do with my Godson."

James cast one glance at Harry, and then along with Lily and Sirius, hurried into the sitting room.

Harry sighed. He might as well try and find other ways out of here while they were busy.

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The Dark Lord stared at his familiar, Nagini. "_What shall we do? Years of hard work is going to waste. The potion, his loyalty EVERYTHING! I have lost part of my family, and I will do anything to get him back." _Voldemort growled.

Nagini hissed, amused. "_Don't tell me you actually have come to __care __for the boy?" _

Voldemort looked thoughtful. "_Well...I suppose. But that is completely off topic. Now, where were we? Oh yes. The werewolf…." _Voldemort chuckled evilly, thinking of the plans he had in store for the Potter family.

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Hermione stared at her letter.

_Dear Harry, _

_You are an absolute, utter, and complete idiot! As soon as I get to Hogwarts, I won't let you out of my sight, you moron. Do you know how worried I've been? _

_Anyway, try and get out. I don't want to have to pretend not to know you at Hogwarts. And yes, I am in Gryffindor House. Don't get angry, it's not that bad. I'm sure your father will accept it. _

_Please tell me you've been civil to Ron. He is a good guy, and one of my best friends. And those parents of yours will do anything to gain your loyalty back. DON'T LISTEN! You deserve much better than those horrible "parents". _

_I don't mind what type of ring you get me. As long as you give it to me when you are out of danger, I shall be happy. _

_Love, _

_H xxx_

Hermione attached the roll of parchment to the ebony black owl Harry had given her for her 17th birthday. She sighed as the black wings faded away into the distance, and turned back to her work, tears forming in her eyes. She really hoped that Harry was ok.

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Sirius gaped at Lily and James. "You're...You're sure. Absolutely sure."

James nodded solemnly. "Utterly, and completely 117 % sure." James grinned, using a small saying they had made up.

Sirius stared at them, and then began to chuckle. "Hahahaha! HA! HAH!" He was rolling on the ground by now, tears forming in his eyes because he was laughing so hard. "HAHAHAHA!"

Lily began to giggle."Er, Siri, what's so funny?"

Sirius wiped his eyes. "I will kill whoever did this! It destroyed Harry's childhood, AND IT DESTROYED MY FRIENDSHIP WITH YOU GUYS! PRONGS!" He yelled and leaped into James's arms, and then promptly landed on the floor when James's arms proved to weak to hold him.

Sirius hugged Lily and James and began to dance around the room, in a crazy Sirius like fashion. "I got my best buddy back, I got my best buddy back." He trilled.

He then stopped and ran out of the door yelling "I won't tell Harry but I gotta meet those two kids of yours!"

James and Lily stared at each other. "Knowing Padfoot he's gonna hit the roof when he hears that Theo is named after him." James muttered as they raced out.

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Harry sighed and lay on his bed. So far, no news from either Hermione or his father OR Neville.

Suddenly he heard a tapping at the window, and saw 4 owls there. He grinned, and opened up the window and grabbed the letters the owls were holding.

The first one was from Bellatrix. Harry rolled his eyes, mentally preparing himself for a berating on letting himself get captured. Here's what it said;

_Harry, _

_I am….astounded. You saved my life, but now you're back in that hellhole, with those people who call themselves your parents. I hope that you know that your real family is back here, at Riddle Manor. _

The letter went on and on, telling Harry what was going on, how to take care of himself, etc.

_I met your...fiancee. Quite a character, even if she is a Mudblood. I wish you would have waited for Daphne though. Her father was ready to sign the contract for the marriage, but your Father vetoed it once he met Hermione. Hm. Maybe Daphne can convince you with her charming character when you get back. I will not settle for your marrying a Mudblood! _

_Love, _

_Bella. _

The next letter was from his father. It was straight to the point, and Harry chuckled at his father's straight forward manner. It basically said that he should get out of there the first moment he got, even if he had to kill 5 people in the process.

Harry breathed in the next letter. It was from Hermione, and he could smell her perfume on it. He read it, brushing with his finger the ink blots and tear stains. He wish he could be with her right now.

The last letter came as a surprise. It was not from Neville, but from an old friend of his.

Draco Malfoy.

Harry smirked as he read Draco's fine pureblood handwriting. It didn't say anything about his capture, but Draco did berate him about his choice of wife. Harry laughed outright when he read;

_I hope to see you soon at Hogwarts, or at Riddle Manor. Father says we must get together again some time. _

Just like Draco to take the situation smoothly. Harry shook his head, marveling his best friend's smooth letter.

Harry leaned back on his bed, locking the letters in his safe underneath one of the floorboards. Sirius was taking ages.

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"So...let me get this straight. You flew into the Dark Lord's pet Nagini….and she...laughed?" Sirius said, tears rolling down his face as Harry recounted some of his favorite memories. "How can a snake laugh?"

"Well she kind of….hissed and put bursts of air….Oh I don't know Pad!" Harry said exasperatedly.

Siris grinned. "It's good to have you back, Padlet."

Harry's grin turned into a frown. "Look, you remember how I'm the one of the prophecy? How my dad's spell hit me? Well, that means that only I can win this war. And since I'm on the dark side, we're going to win. Please, please join. You don't have to fight. Just….advise. I stated my terms to Father, but he said that if you were killed in battle, he couldn't do anything. My fiancee…"

Sirius expression turned gleeful. "Little Paddie has a fiancee?Oooohhh" He said, making kissing motions.

Harry flushed. "Shut up. I'm serious! SHUT UP!" Sirius only laughed even harder.

Between gasps of laughter he said, "No, you're not Sirius, I am!" Sirius laughed even harder, rolling around on the floor.

Harry shook his head amused. "You haven't changed one bit, Pad."

Sirius poked Harry in the ribs."Nor you Harry. Hey, have you mastered your Animagus form yet?"

Harry grinned. "Yup, and wait till you see what I am. Your going to be proud, Padfoot."

Harry transformed. And then growled.

Harry was a Grim. Just like Sirius, but whereas Sirius was completely black, Harry had streaks of white and gold. But the fact that Harry had transformed into a Grim meant something entirely different.

Sirius gasped, and hugged him. "You mean…."

Harry had a funny expression on his face. "Yeah. I consider you my father, Pad. Not the Dark Lord."

When a person became an Animagus, they would transform into something that was related to their family. Most families had a family animal group. The Potters were deers and birds. Sirius's family had been ravens, but when Sirius had been sorted into Gryffindor, he unknowingly broke away from the Black family animal group. He had become a new type of Black family. In fact, he was the first Grim animagus. To be a Grim Animagi meant you were very powerful, while your look couldn't kill like most Grims, you had all the magical powers they had. And Harry, who for 6 years had had a father in Sirius, had considered himself Sirius's son. So, when Harry had learned his true Animagus form, he was surprised to find that he hadn't turned into a snake or falcon, the Gaunt family animal group. His father had thought that Harry was just very powerful, and had broken away from the animal group, but Harry knew differently.

"Gosh, Harry. I mean….so what does…..your..ff..father think?" Sirius said with a bit of stuttering.

"He doesn't know."

They lapsed into silence.

Sirius grinned. "Well, you know what?"

"What?"

"I wanna hear more about this fiancee. What's her name?"

Harry groaned. This was going to be a long conversation of explaining.

Just outside the door, James listened to the conversation inside, a tear rolling down his face. He had messed up so badly. And now….Sirius was his family. Not the Potters. James shivered to think about what might have happened if Sirius hadn't been there for Harry. At least there was still hope, James thought grimly.

James stood up and turned to leave. They were having a conversation about Harry's fiancee. Probably some pure blooded princess, James thought grimly. But, it wouldn't hurt more to find out about Harry's life.

"Her name is….Hermione Granger. She and I met when we were 11."

James gasped. Hermione Granger was one of the best witches of her age. Had she turned dark?

"No, Pad she hasn't turned dark. She just wants to be by my side, no matter what. She's not choosing sides until she's sure what I want, and what she wants."

James sighed with relief. But...Hermione! Albus had mentioned her a few times, blushing. They weren't close, and now James knew why. Obviously Harry had told Hermione about his childhood. But Albus seemed to have an enormous crush on her…..That wasn't going to turn out well. Should he tell Lily and the others? No….that would just cause more trouble.

James stood up. Just as he stepped onto the stairs, it gave a loud creak.

Harry raced to the door and opened it.

And saw nothing. Harry sighed with relief, closed the door, and returned to his conversation.

James smirked. Harry may be all powerful, but he had his invisibility cloak.

James carefully made his way down the stairs, not knowing that at that very moment, Voldemort was preparing to attack.

And he wasn't planning on leaving survivors.

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_Flashback: _

_James picked up his coat and kissed Albus and Harry on the head. "Now, be careful, ok? Uncle Peter is with you tonight, so don't make too much trouble. Daddy loves the fact that you both are future marauders, but Wormie here doesn't need his hair pink again." James chuckled remembering Harry's accidental magic. _

"_Don't wowwry Papa. Uncle Wormie won't get pink hwair again!" Albus said brightly, nudging Harry to do the same. _

"_Yeah. Uncle Wormie gets orange hair wif polka dots!" Both started laughing. _

_Peter smiled nervously. Tonight was the night that he would lead his master in to kill both of the Potter twins. His Godsons. Peter shivered at how a simple act of thoughtlessness led to this. He had become a Death Eater to help protect his friends. Fat load of good that did. Maybe he could…..no. It was to late. It was either his life, or Albus and Harry. Peter wasn't sure whose was more important. _

_Lily rushed out the door, giving Wormtail a quick kiss on the cheek saying, "Thanks again Wormtail. It's been so long since I saw Mom and Dad agian. It'll be nice." She smiled, and ran out the door and to the apparation point. _

_James followed again, but not before giving Wormtail a quick slap on the back. "Have fun with the two tykes!" He said, chuckling. _

_Peter watched the two go out the door and apparate. As soon as they were gone, he turned to the twins, and smiled nervously. _

_Albus and Harry gave identical grins. "UNCLE WORMY!" They screeched, and launched themselves on top of him. _

_Half an hour later, Peter glanced at the clock. It was time. He waved his wand, and his green hair disappeared, along with the pig's tail that the twins had given him. He chuckled sadly. He would miss these two. _

_Peter made sure that he was dressed appropriately, before herding the twins upstairs and into their bunk bed. They wouldn't get into bed, so Peter let them play on the ground. Might as well let them have fun while it lasted. _

_There was a burning on his left arm. Peter quickly ran outside the house, and there, stood his master, Lord Voldemort. _

"_Mmm...Master." Wormtail bowed lowly. "It is my honor to be by your side while the chosen ones are defeated." _

"_Chosen one...s?" Voldemort laughed. "No, one of them shall be left alive. The elder one I think. Hadrian or whatever his name is. To show my….mercy." Voldemort smiled cruelly. "But not before giving the brat the torturing he deserves." _

_Wormtail stared in shock at his master's mercy. "May I...ask why?" _

"_No." _

"_Oh...Ok." _

_Wormtail led Voldemort inside, and upstairs. There stood the two twins. _

_Soon the house was filled with green light, which left Wormtail cowering. _

_Voldemort stared at Harry in shock. "It didn't work! IT DIDN'T WORK!" Then he heard the sounds of people outside. _

_He acted quickly. "Pettigrew. You have been attacked outside when one of the twins ran outside. I was waiting. I bound you, and you tried to protect the twins. This way you will still be able to spy. I want you to…" Voldemort waved his wand and a small vial of potion appeared. "Put this in the Potter's food." He snagged a hair off Harry who was watching angrily, and put it in the potion. _

"_Obliviate." He pointed his wand at the twins, and a white glow enveloped them. "This potion will drive Harry to my side. We will win the war for sure. And no matter what Peter, Harry is NOT the chosen one. Albus is. If the old fool thinks it is Harry, SAY you saw Albus get the spell. You then passed out unconscious again." _

"_Unconscious?" _

_Voldemort smirked. "Sectumsempra!" Slashes appeared over Wormtail and he looked surprised before falling to his knees. "Crucio!" _

_Wormtail began to scream, and Voldemort cast one final spell. " Malus!" He hissed, and Wormtail began to convulse, before letting out a heart-wrenching scream. Blood began to seep out of his nose, eyes and mouth.". Albus, who was unconscious, didn't notice a thing, but Harry was watching in horror. _

"_STOP! Stop it!" Harry shrieked and jumped in front of Wormtail, only to be hit with a spell that sent him flying backwards. He landed on the floor, and tried to run towards Wormtail. Voldemort stopped the spell on Wormtail and muttered, "Exantus." Harry fell to the ground, a slash appearing on his chest, seeping through his shirt. When examined later by the house elves, along with the lightning bolt scar, they would see that it was in the shape of the famed deathly hallows, but nobody thought twice about it. _

_Wormtail just managed to gasp out, "People….Please…Master…." _

_Voldemort muttered, "Sustainus." Wormtail, still in pain, breathed a sigh of relief, as the life sustaining spell entered his bloodstream. _

_A pounding was heard up the stairs. Voldemort sprang through the window, just as James Potter burst through the door. _

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Voldemort growled as he tried to push past the wards on the Potter house. Wormtail, who had been found as a spy 3 years ago, was trying to figure out the spells as well, because James had often showed his friends the warding spells. But it was to no avail. The magical signature was the one of Albus Dumbledore, so there was no getting past them.

'I'm coming Harry.' Was Voldemort's last thought as he apparated out.

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The end of the chapter! Hope you all enjoyed, sorry it took so long. Read and Review! Tell me what you think of the twins (Theo and Rosie), Harry and James? Lily will have a bigger part next chapter, and the time will speed up.

Voldemort does love Harry in his own way. And you will find out who Harry considers the better "Father" to him, Sirius or old Voldy.


	7. Lies and Love

Harry James Potter, or as he prefered to be called, Hadrian Riddle, stared angrily and Albus Dumbledore.

"No." He stated flatly. "Not possible. My father would never do that. He told me that…." Harry stopped himself just in time before revealing a secret that his father had told him. About the bond.

Dumbledore looked at him sternly. " Mr. Potter, you must believe me. Lily is an expert in Potions. She is even better than Severus. She recognized the potion as soon as she saw it! They were given dormant potions that made them have negative feelings towards you. And there is only one way that it could have been slipped into their food."

James smiled grimly. "Do you remember Uncle Wormtail, Harry?"

Harry scoffed. "Yeah, he comes every Tuesday and Wednesday to be tortured by father. I hate him, the weak snivelling rat."

James looked shocked, as this wasn't the answer he had expected. "You mean...he's still a death eater? Do you realise that he betrayed us? Why didn't you kill him! HE RUINED OUR LIVES! THE SNIVELLING TRAITOR GAVE US THE POTION FOR 9 BLOODY YEARS!" James roared out of breath, his hate for Wormtail getting the better of his temper.

Harry laughed, an eerie sound. "I don't care. I had a miserable childhood, and you were responsible. Do you really believe that I'm going to believe this shit your telling me?"

Lily tried to put a hand on Harry's shoulder, only for him to move away again. "Harry, I know this is painful for you, because you realise Voldemort...er I mean your father betrayed you, but please! You must give us another chance! Harry, please!" Lily said, close to tears.

Harry eyed her coldly. "I don't believe you. If you had really loved me, then you would have fought against the potion. Father has always told me that every spell, potion and curse could be fought, if the person was strong enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had enough of your bullshit. I believe that my siblings, Theo and Rosie wanted me to play Quidditch with them. At least they don't have the childhood I had. Congratulations, Mother, Father." He said mockingly.

Harry was about to step out of the room, when Dumbledore furrowed his brow. "Wait. Harry. I think we can prove something. Do you remember when you were 8 years old, and you went with Lily to Diagon Alley?"

Harry turned around, going pale. "No…" He whispered. "That was a sick little trick to make me believe that my parents still cared for me."

Dumbledore smiled grimly. "No. It wasn't. Legilimens, quisque docere." He muttered.

Harry was caught by surprise, and his shields crumbled. The memory was projected from his mind, into everyone's minds who were in the room.

_Flashback_

_Harry shuffled nervously up to his mother. "Uh...Mother...can I have some breakfast please? I ran out of food in my room." He muttered. _

_Lily turned around from talking with Peter Pettigrew, who had come over for brunch. "Oh….Harry!" She said in shock, as if waking up for the first time in months. _

_Harry was pale and thin, with dark circles under his eyes, which had lost the sparkle that they had once held. His arms hung uselessly by his side, as if he didn't have the strength to lift them anymore. His clothes hung off his frame, and he was hunched over. His hair was incredibly scruffy, and hung down to his shoulders. Harry had lost the will to live, because recently, the only person who had ever cared about him, Sirius, had been banned from the Potter Manor, after a big fight with the Potters. He had tried to meet up with Harry, but Harry had been caught by James trying to sneak out, and severely punished when James realised who Harry was trying to meet up with. Since that, Harry had become depressed, thinking that nobody cared about him. _

_Harry looked up at his mother, repeating his question tonelessly. "Mother, please may I have breakfast. I don't want to inconvenience you, but I am incredibly hungry as I forgot to have some food for...:" Harry paused to count. "A week now." _

_Lily stared at her son in shock. What was the matter with her? Had she really let her son...starve?_

"_I'm sorry Peter, but I believe Harry needs a day out with his mother. Mother son time, you know?" She said, firmly taking Harry's hand and leading him towards the fireplace, to floo to Diagon Alley. _

_Peter stared at them in confusion and anger. They couldn't leave! Lily's monthly amount of potion had run out, and her normal feelings had returned! He needed to get some potion to her before she showed Harry that she cared about him. _

_Desperately, Peter picked up a small chocolate with the potion inside. "Lily, you look rather hungry. Before you go, eat this!" _

_Lily smiled, thinking that Peter was truly worried. "Thanks Peter, but I'll have something to eat at Diagon Alley. Please tell James where we are if he gets worried." _

_With that, the emerald green flames swallowed them both. _

_That day was the best day Harry had in years. He and Lily had had a great brunch, where Harry ate properly for the first time in weeks. He had told his mother eagerly about what he was reading, studying and practicing in his room. _

_Lily was also having a wonderful time, connecting with her son. She realised that she hardly knew anything about him. And he was really smart, she realised, and obviously had her talent in potions, when Harry told her about brewing Polyjuice one day, when Neville was over. They had put the hairs of some local boys in the Potion, and spent the rest of the day parading around Godrics Hollow as some muggle people. _

_Lily realised that she had completely neglected her son, and was terribly ashamed. She made a vow to herself that she would pay as much attention to Harry as she did to Albus. With a bright smile she stood up, and decided that it was definitely time to go an get Harry some new clothing. _

_They went to Madame Malkins, and got Harry a whole new wardrobe, things he liked, as all his clothing were Albus's hand-me-downs. _

_They went to Flourish and Blotts and got Harry tons of new books. _

_They went to the Quidditch shop, and got Harry the new Silver-Arrow, the best broom of it's kind, at the time. Even Albus didn't have it yet, Harry thought excitedly. _

_They went to the pet shop, and Harry got a snowy-white owl that he named Hedwig, and a small husky puppy he named Lilypad. _

"_I'm naming her Lilypad, in dedication of you and Paddie, who are my favorite people in the whole, wide, world!" Harry said, solemnly, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at his mother in adoration. This was the first time he had spent so much time with her, and he really felt loved. _

_Lily felt her heart warm, and a small tear slipped down her face, as she realized that Harry had had no attention paid to him at all, and that she and James barely knew Harry. She stooped down, and hugged Harry. _

"_Mummy, why are you crying? Did I make you sad?" Harry asked, almost frightened. _

"_No, dearest, it's nothing. Come on, lets go to Zonkos and Magical toys." _

_They went to all the toy-shops and bought a lot of new toys for Harry, which he had never been able to have before. And then, they stumbled over to the nearest Floo station, packages in hand. _

_When they got back, Lily started making dinner, for 5 people, because Peter was staying over. Nobody noticed Peter Pettigrew fiddling with the food. _

_Harry put all his new toys in his room, and grinned. His parents really did care for him! _

_He went downstairs, and slipped into the dining room. To his surprise, there were only 4 places! Wasn't Uncle Wormtail staying as well? Harry thought. _

_Lily tasted the food, and almost instantly started to wonder why she had taken Harry to Diagon Alley. Was it because….he was neglected? _

_Harry walked upstairs into his room and started to play with his new toys. Finally, two hours later, he wondered why his mother hadn't called him down yet. _

_He crept downstairs, to be met with a discouraging sight. _

_There were Lily, James, Albus and Peter, eating as if Harry didn't exist. _

"_Mummy….Daddy…..Can I eat here?" Harry dared to ask. _

_Lily turned her gaze on Harry. Had she really taken this insolent brat with her to a day out in Diagon Alley? She sneered. _

"_Be quiet, Harry. Nobody wants to hear you. And for your insolence, you can go and eat in your room." James said. _

_Harry looked back defiantly. "But Mommy said that I should eat with you today! She said." _

_Lily frowned. "Oh really? Did I?" _

"_Yes! When we were buying the Silver Arrow!" Harry said, proudly. _

_Albus was confused. "Wait, Harry got a Silver Arrow! NOT FAIR!" Albus whined. _

_James turned to Lily. "Why did you get Harry a Silver Arrow?" He asked confused. _

_Lily shook her head. "I….don't know…. But he doesn't deserve it. After all, he isn't the boy who lived. Harry, go get your Silver Arrow, Lilypad, your books, toys and new clothing. I don't know what I was thinking, spending so much money on YOU. Give them all to Albus. He's much more important. Sorry, James, I don't know what I was thinking, spoiling him like that." _

_Harry's lip trembled. "But..but...Mummy! You said,... that I needed that stuff! Mummy! Not Lilypad!" _

"_You heard your mother. GO. . STUFF." James ordered. _

_Sobbing, Harry fetched his stuff, and laid it at Albus's feet. "Lilypad!" He called. _

_The small husky was there in a flash. She licked Harry's hand and stared at him adoringly. _

_Lily frowned. "What kind of name is that, Lilypad?" She scoffed. _

_Harry looked at her, confused. "I named her after my two favorite people, remember? Paddie, and you!" _

"_Well it's a stupid name. What do you want to name her, Al?" James said, still sore about his former best friend. _

_Albus smirked and looked at Harry. "I'll name her...Jamie. Just like you, dad!" _

_James beamed. _

_Harry was by this stage crying his heart out. "Why, Mommy! You said! This was mine! Lilypad was mine! Hedwig is mine!" _

_Lily stared at him. "Oh, that's right. Give Hedwig to your brother. You have no friends, so therefore, you don't need to send letters," She sneered. _

_Harry's eyes hardened. He should have known better. Of course this was just a cruel joke. Why had he believed it? _

_And in that moment, Harry hated his family beyond belief. _

_He drew himself up, his eyes radiating power. The Potters and Wormtail drew back, shivering at the raw power in his face. _

"_I am no longer a Potter. I hate you all. You hurt me, belittle me, hate me. I have no hope left. I thought, once that you all might be my family again. I see differently now." _

_Harry stalked out of the room. "Lilypad!" He whistled. _

_Albus regained his composure. "Hey, give her back, she's mine!" _

_Harry looked at him coldly. "No Potter, she's mine. Hedwig is mine. And technically all the stuff lying at your feet is mine. And by the way, I can send letters to two people. Padfoot and Neville. My REAL family." _

_Ignoring the yells and promises for punishment, Harry made his way up into his bedroom. _

_Harry was broken. There was barely any hope left for him. _

_A week later, Neville was supposed "dead." _

_Harry was in a deep depression and the only thing keeping him out of it was Lilypad and Hedwig. _

_End Flashback. _

Harry, angry at being tricked, and sensing that a dangerous memory was coming up next, yelled at Dumbledore to stop. But it was too late. The memory was already in motion.

_Flashback_

_Harry stood in front of a red-faced Hermione, who was yelling herself hoarse. _

"_I MEAN, REALLY. YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE THINKING, DIVING INTO THAT LAKE, IN THE MIDDLE OF DECEMBER, WITHOUT A BUBBLE-HEAD CHARM OR WARMING CHARM, FOR A STUPID NECKLACE OF MINE! HONESTLY!" _

_Harry's face dropped. "I thought….I mean it seemed pretty special to you. I mean, your FRIEND," Harry said this word bitterly, "Ron gave it to you. It obviously meant something to your relationship with him, I mean you obviously like him and I hate to see you unhappy, and I know that although I wish we were more than friends, you obviously like this Ron and...mmph!" Harry was cut of at Hermione diving at him and kissing him._

_Hermione kissed Harry passionately, and Harry kissed back, equally ferociously. They both broke apart, slightly breathless. _

_Hermione's eyes were shining. "You want to be more than friends! I mean, I've been giving you hints for MONTHS and you think I like Ron! Boys!" She shook her head. _

_Harry was looking at her nervously. "Do you really like me? I mean, I've liked you for ages, and I…" _

_Hermione looked at him and placed a soft kiss on his mouth. "Hadrian Riddle, Harry James Potter, whatever your name is, you sometimes are an idiot." _

_Harry looked at her shyly and said, "Would you like to be my girlfriend, Mione?" _

_End Flashback _

"STOP! STOP!" Harry roared, but Dumbledore, pale faced proceeded to the next memory.

_Flashback_

"_Oh, and before I forget, will you marry me?" _

"_Yes!" _

End Flashback

"STOOOPPPP!" Harry yelled, and to his surprise, Dumbledore cut of the connection.

Lily and Dumbledore stared at Harry, and James gaped. James of course had heard the conversation between Harry and Sirius, but he was surprised at how Harry was so like him. He had proposed to Lily in almost exactly the same manner.

"You're...engaged?" Lily spluttered.

Harry covered his face with his hands, and then looked up. "Don't hurt Hermione. If you do, you'll wish you were never born. She doesn't want to be dark!"

For the first time since arriving at Potter Manor, Harry looked and felt afraid. If Dumbledore decided Hermione was a threat….she could be killed.

Dumbledore sat down heavily on a chair. "I….I never knew…." He said weakly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hah. You thought she secretly liked Mr. Chosen One. Albus asked her to go to Hogsmeade several times, and she declined. Even when he stopped doing things she didn't like, like running his fingers through his hair. Yes, she told me all about it." Harry added, seeing his parents shocked faces. " Hermione knew how much he had hurt me over the years, and stayed as far as away as possible from him."

Lily beamed. "I'm going to have a daughter in law! We have to meet her! I mean, we always thought she would be Albus's but…."

Harry stared. "You thought she would be Albus's? HAH!" He laughed.

Lily grinned sheepishly. "Yea, she and Albus acted exactly how James and I used to act."

Harry sniffed. "Well, she will be Albus's the day I turn light." He scoffed.

Dumbledore, who had been watching the conversation carefully, stood up. "Harry, do you see what I mean? The way your mothers mood changed, as soon as she ate with Peter over?"

Harry nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "I….I need time to think. My FATHER," He spat "wouldn't do such a thing."

James looked sad. "Do you really not consider me your father anymore?"

Harry started to laugh really hard. It was bordering on the line of insanity, when he straightened up from bending over clutching his stomach. "I didn't consider you my father the day you ignored that I was dying." He said, a cold look in his eye.

James gulped at the icy look in his son's eye. He remembered that day very well.

_Flashback_

_It had been a year after Voldemort's attack, and Harry was feeling sick. Dragon Pox had been going around, Harry recalled. He decided to ask his mother to check his temperature, as Dragon Pox could be extremely dangerous if not treated properly. _

_Harry approached his mother, who was fussing over Albus who had thrown up after eating a crayon. Harry imagined the headlines. 'Chosen one dies after eating crayon.' He snorted. _

"_Mummy….can I please have an aspirin?" Harry asked timidly. He had barely spoken to his parents, and had only held their attention for about 5 seconds in the past few months. _

_Lily turned distractedly away from Albus. "Sorry, Harry? An aspirin? Can't you see I'm busy with Albus?" She sighed. _

_Harry had a coughing fit, and sat down on the floor. "I'm sorry Mum, I know that he's sick an all, and that he's the chosen-" Harry's sentence was cut of by a fit of coughing again, and this time, Harry felt some bile rise up his throat. He definitely had Dragon Pox. The coughing, almost throwing up, and Harry was beginning to feel hot around his back, arms and neck, and cold around his stomach and feet, which was the signature feeling for Dragon Pox. _

_Harry tried again. "I think I may have Dragon Pox." _

_Lily shot up. "What! Oh no!" _

_Harry reached for his mother, the pain was getting worse. He thought that she was worried about him, so he crawled towards her, only to have her shove him back with a bit of magic. _

"_Don't come near Albus, Harry. He could get sick! James!" She called. _

_James ran down the stairs. "What's wrong? Is Albus hurt?" He said. _

"_No, Harry is sick with the Dragon Pox. Can you put him in the basement, so he doesn't infect us?" _

_Harry stared at his parents. He couldn't believe them. He knew that his mother was an accomplished Healer, and that she knew how to treat Dragon Pox. Why were they doing this? He could potentially die!_

"_Mummy, Daddy! It hurts please!" Harry shivered, and retched, a bit of blood staining his lips. It was obvious that Harry had the worst type of Dragon Pox you could get, Horntail Pox as it was often nicknamed. Horntail Pox was notorious for escalating quickly. _

_James Potter stared. And then he laughed. _

_Harry stared at him. And he cried. _

_He was in pain, and his father….laughed. _

_He laughed. _

_He...laughed. _

_HE LAUGHED! _

_Harry started to sob. "Daddy, why are you laughing? It hurts! Please, make it stop!" _

_Little spurts of blood began to ooze from the two scars on Harry's body. _

"_MUMMY!" Harry screamed. His scars were stinging. _

_The Horntail Pox was known to be almost as painful as the crucio, if not more. _

_Lily was starting to get worried. James obviously thought that Harry was faking it, but she knew the signs. Harry obviously had the Horntail Pox. Shouldn't….shouldn't they get him to the doctor? _

_Feelings surfaced that had been misted for so long. Love….Fear for her baby. Lily winced, as they all came back….but suddenly they were forced down again. All Lily cared about was Albus. Harry had to be quarantined, no matter how sick. His very presence was dangerous. _

_James got an angry look on his face. "Alright Harry, jokes over. Stop it." _

"_I'm...not….faking...Daddy….please….doctor….care!" Harry's breathing was becoming laboured. _

"_DADDY PLEASE! DON'T YOU CARE? ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS ALBUS! I'M….IT HURTS PLEASE! I'M YOUR SON AS WELL! PLEASE! CARE ABOUT ME TOO!" Harry howled, fresh tears coming to his eyes. _

_James stalked over, and pulled Harry roughly up, only to snatch his arm away again. His arms were burning up! James stared at his son in horror. He really did have Horntail Pox. _

"_Get up! Get down to the basement. You could infect Albus, and the last thing we need at the moment is Albus sick. You being sick is already bad enough. We'll have to put up with your whining for days." James rolled his eyes. Deep down, something was fighting. Why was he saying all this horrible stuff to his son? Why?_

_Harry clenched his fists, and got shakily to his legs, his white polo shirt stained with blood, the pain intensifying. _

_Harry collapsed. "Daddy….please…" He whispered. _

_James slapped Harry across the face. "Stop making a scene. STOP TRYING TO BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALBUS! STOP BEING AN ATTENTION SEEKING BRAT FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, AND BE HELPFUL TO YOUR FAMILY! GET UP YOU FREAK! NO SON OF MINE LIES ON THE FLOOR, WEAKLING!" He roared. _

_But it was too late. Harry James Potter was awaiting death, the Horntail Pox having finished it's course throughout his body. Only a miracle would save him now. _

_Lily walked over and looked worriedly down at Harry. "James...I think he's in the final stage!" _

_James's face suddenly cleared. "Oh god...My own son! What have I done!" He whispered, and collected Harry in his arms. _

_They brought Harry upstairs, and called up a doctor. _

_By then it was too late. The doctor left, with a sad look in his eyes. Why hadn't the Potters realised that Harry had been seriously ill? _

_Lily and James sat by Harry's bedside, holding his hands, praying. _

_Peter came over…..and cooked them food. _

_Then, on December 1st, a few days after the beginning of Harry's infection, just after the Potter's had finished dinner, Harry woke up. _

_A white glow filled the room. An ancient magic sensed that Harry could not be allowed to die._

_Harry looked around him. He was in his room. The last thing he could remember was his Father screaming that he was a freak and a weakling. Harry slumped back down into his bed, vowing that he would never think of James as his father. _

_The Potters returned to their indifferent and neglective manner of him. _

_It was as if the infection had never even threatened Harry's life. _

_Harry was marked as someone who had survived Horntail Pox, without medical treatment. A small scar in the shape of his dragon was painfully etched into his collarbone by the disease. In the older days, when the cures weren't around, surviving Horntail Pox boosted your magical core, and strengthen your resistance towards pain. If you were treated, this didn't happen. Harry had survived and become a stronger person, but lost something important in the process. _

_A father. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

James shuddered. He couldn't remember why he had been so horrible. He hadn't had any reason!

Harry turned away and stalked out of the room. Before he left he turned around and looked them all in the eye. "Do not tell anyone about me and Hermione. If you do, I will personally make sure that each of your loved ones is killed. Do not mess with me." He snarled. With that he walked out of the room, banging the door shut.

Dumbledore swayed and sat down heavily. He suddenly looked his age, Lily thought.

"Well, it seems that he is not ready to believe us yet. I...Ms. Granger is a bright witch, and I never thought that she would...follow another so willingly to the dark side. But...we want Harry to trust us, so don't tell a soul." Dumbledore ordered.

Lily hugged James. "It's not your fault Jamie." She said, seeing the tears running down James's face as he replayed the memory again and again in his mind.

James looked down at Lily, tears falling from his face.

"But don't you see Lily? It is!"

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Harry walked out to the small Quidditch pitch James had built for Albus on his 6th birthday. Harry had been particularly jealous that birthday, because Albus had gotten the broom that he had wanted for ages.

Up in the sky, he could see two small figures, accompanied by a bigger one flying up. He sat down on the grass and watched them.

For as long as he could remember, Harry had loved Quidditch. He played every position, but seeker was his favorite. He charmed his practice snitch to lead him on a crazy chase, forcing him to do death defying stunts.

Harry was shaken out of his thoughts by a squeal. He looked up, and saw a mass of red curls flying towards him.

Harry jumped up when Rosie reached him, did a flip and landed on the broom, pulled it up just as it was about to crash. Then he floated down softly and helped the shaken girl of her broom.

Theo landed next to him, and ran over to his twin. "Oh, Ro are you ok? Oh gosh, Al is going to kill me!" He proceeded squeeze the life out of the small girl, who smiled at her brother's concern.

"It's all right Theo, Harry saved me!"

Theo looked at Harry with adoring eyes and ran over to him and hugged him, hard. Harry smiled down at him, before his eyes turning cold. Harry carefully extracted the small arms from around him and started to walk away when he heard,

"Hey! Hey! Wait!" Albus panted as he ran up to Harry.

"What?" Harry said coldly.

"Uh..Oh well I just wanted to thank you for saving Rosie," Albus said.

Harry was taken aback. He had suspected a snide remark, or something about how he was now dark. He hadn't expected a thank you.

"Oh...well you're welcome. " Harry said, said awkwardly.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Hey, Harry can you play Quidditch?" Theo said, oblivious to the tension between Albus and Harry.

"A bit" Harry said, shuffling from foot to foot.

Albus scoffed. "A bit is a huge understatement. Imagine Krum's talent x 10. Harry was amazing when we were younger, and I bet he's even better now. But not as good as me." He added in an afterthought.

Harry stared at Albus. "How do you know? The few times that I did get on a broom in your presence you would draw the attention away from me...You would always find some way or another to get me in trouble if I so much as TOUCHED a broom." Harry said grumpily.

Albus flushed. "Look, Harry, I'm sorry. I was a mean spoiled little kid, and you have every right to hate me. But...I sometimes would look out of my window at night, and see you and Uncle Siri flying around. It got me jealous...Anyway, I saw how good you were….and I'm sure that Theo and Rosie would love for you to play. Dad can play as well, and a few other people who I can floo over. What about it?"

Harry eyed the broom. It had been a long time since he had been on one and...perhaps he could fly away from the Potter Manor once everyone was distracted. It was a perfect idea!

Harry grinned. "Sure."

Albus, taken aback by Harry's sudden change in mood, hurried to the house to Floo call some people over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry sat down with Theo and Rosie, who were staring at him open mouthed.

"So...I guess I'm your brother...right?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yeah!" Rosie said perking up at the fact that this amazing person was related to her.

"So...I guess we got to get to know each other? What are your hobbies?"

Theo furrowed his brow. "Well...I guess since I can't do a lot, cause' Mommy says I have an illness…"

Harry looked alarmed. "What do you mean? You look perfectly healthy to me!"

"No silly!" Rosie whispered. "His...sickness prevents him from doin' a lot!"

Harry frowned. "What do you mean, sickness?"

Theo suddenly grinned. "I know what my hobby is! Running around with Uncle Moony on full moons! It's really fun...even though the potion tastes terrible!"

Harry went white. "You..you mean you're a werewolf?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Flashback_

_Harry sat crying in a corner. He had just had a particularly hard Occlumency lesson with his father, and it had just brought back to many bad memories, despite the fact that he had left the Potters over a year ago. _

_Fenrir Greyback was walking through the halls when he heard the whimpering of a young cub. His wolf senses went on high alert, and he quickly ran over to where the boy was hiding. There sat Hadrian Riddle, who was his master's son. Fenrir had never personally met the boy, but for some reason, his inner wolf accepted the boy as part of his pack. That was odd. _

_Harry looked up to see a wolfish face, looking worried. His eyes, while kind seemed to hold some sadistic element in them. But Harry wasn't scared. He sniffled and suddenly two strong arms encircled him and started to rock him back and forth. _

_Fenrir was surprised when he reacted in such a way. But nevertheless, he soothed the young boy. _

_Finally Harry stopped crying. "Um..Sir, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell my father. It's just that...Well I just relived one of my worst memories. I shouldn't be crying, but it was just too much for me." _

_Fenrir chuckled. "It's alright cub." _

_Harry froze. "Wha-what did you say?" _

_Fenrir looked confused. "Er...I said that's alright cub… I'm sorry it's just a natural thing that I say when I see a child. It's my inner wolf you see. I'm a werewolf. Why?" _

_Harry unfroze and shook his head. "It just reminded me of someone I used to know. Never mind. I..I better be going. Thanks." He said sincerely._

"_Wait a second," Fenrir called. "If you don't mind me asking, what was that memory?" _

_Harry paused. "Well..It was a memory of my father and mother taunting me….basically they were saying that I didn't deserve the Potter name, because I fell of my broom after my brother Albus slammed into me...and then pushed me off my broom. I broke two bones, half my ribcage and fractured my knee cap, but they just let me stay there in pain, and taunted me! They just taunted me! Then when I cried out when my dad tried to pull me up by my broken arm, he...he slapped me, let me fall to the ground, and then kicked me. My mother...actually tried to help me, but he managed to persuade her to leave me there. It was the middle of November and they left me out there all night. If I hadn't done some accidental magic that made a small warming charm, I would have frozen." Harry stated grimly. _

_Fenrir snarled. How dare they do that! "I...I will get them for this cub. You know, as a werewolf, I can make their lives VERY miserable" He stated slyly. _

_Harry's eyes lit up at the thought of Albus being a werewolf, or James. "I...It would ruin their lives. Just not my mum though. She actually cared sometimes." _

_Fenrir grinned ferally. "They are going to pay cub." He promised. _

_Harry was uncomfortable with the idea, but he told himself it was the least they deserved. Fenrir came back after full moon and proudly told him he had bitten the youngest male. _

_End flashback. _

After that Harry and Fenrir had become quite good friends, with Harry calling Fenrir, 'Uncle Fen' and name that Fenrir had positively despised, but gone along with it jokingly. And although Harry hadn't known it then, he slowly realised that Fenrir reminded him of Padfoot, and Moony. Harry and Remus had been close, until he had been sent away on a secret mission by Dumbledore when Harry was 7. He had returned occasionally, but Harry hadn't seen him a lot when he needed him most.

Hoarsely he whispered. "Who..who bit you?"

Behind him a voice sounded, "Fenrir Greyback."

Harry spun around, and saw Remus Lupin, smiling sadly.

"Hey...hey Harry." He said shyly.

Harry's face split into a grin. "MOONY!" He cried, jumping up and giving him a bone-cracking hug.

"Uncle Moony!" Two identical voices called behind him.

Remus opened his arms as the twins ran into them, and swung them around using strength someone his age shouldn't have.

"Theo over here was bitten by Fenrir Greyback, only a year after you left. He was lucky to survive. Fenrir Greyback carved a scar-a message into his chest, and of course he became a werewolf. He has me though so it's not so bad." The werewolf said sadly.

Harry shivered. "What was this..message?" He said, the comment Fenrir had said 'I bit the youngest male' making much more sense suddenly.

Theo unbuttoned his shirt and proudly showed his scar to Harry. "It says: Suffer like he did. Mum and Dad couldn't make any sense of it, but they thought that maybe the werewolf meant his brother who was captured. Anyway, it's not to bad. It sure is painful transforming, but me, Moony and sometimes Dad have fun going in the forest. And when Albus becomes a...a...Animabus… He's going to come as well!" Theo said excitedly.

Harry smiled at Theo's pronunciation of Animagus. "I'm an Animagus." Harry said softly, remembering Sirius reaction to his form.

Theo and Rosie jumped up and down. "SHOW US!" They pleaded.

Harry grinned, and soon a gold-white streaked grim with warm emerald eyes was playing with them. They squealed when Harry allowed them to get on his back. Being a grim, he was much bigger and stronger then a lot of dogs, about the size of a small pony. Harry pranced around, romping around with them. Soon, another huge black Grim joined the rough-housing, and soon even Remus couldn't help it. Sirius, were having so much fun, they didn't notice James and Lily step out of the house and smile fondly at them.

Harry froze when he saw Lily and James watching him, and abruptly transformed into a human again.

James approached the now quiet mess of people and grinned. "Mind if I join in?" He asked shyly.

Sirius barked and wagged his tail, and James taking this as an invitation, transformed into his signature stag. Harry, sat off to the side, but the natural marauder side came out in him, and soon, he was back in there, tussling around with the rest of the marauders. Rosie sat out eventually, as she didn't have the werewolf strength or resilience that Remus and Theo had.

Lily laughed and went and sat by her daughter.

Albus came out, and looked at the tussling bunch. He went over and squeezed his eyes shut, and transformed into a…..

James transformed and stared at Albus. "You have got to be kidding me."

Rosie and Theo started laughing, and Sirius and Harry just stared at each other, and then back at Albus. Remus was trying his best not to laugh.

Albus was a ferret.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, you know what they say! Animagi represent your inner animal! And Albus is a….FERRET!" Sirius said later to a blushing Albus.

Harry grinned, and then chuckled. "Gosh, Draco always told me that you always teased him about being transformed into a ferret in his fourth year. Better not let this news get back to him."

The room went strangely quiet and Harry realised what he had said. First, he had actually

been open and friendly with Albus, James and Lily around and…

"You're friends with...MALFOY?" Albus said in a strangled voice.

Harry's expression turned stony. "Yeah, he's like a BROTHER to me. Sure he can be a little arrogant at times, but he never ever has been a prat or….betrayed me." Harry smiled internally as Albus started to look uncomfortable.

Lily cleared her throat. "Um, Harry why don't you join us for lunch?"

Harry went hostile again. "No. I thought we were playing Quidditch." He said bluntly.

Albus hurried over to the fire, and called out into it, "C'mon Ron!"

It had been agreed ahead of time that nobody would know Harry's true identity for several reasons. Many of Albus's friend's families had been targets of the Dark Lord, and although nobody knew it was Harry, the Silver Mask, Harry's alter-ego in a way. They agreed that Harry would be introduced as a cousin, Evan Potter. Only the Weasley's knew Harry's true identity.

Soon, 4 gangly haired youths stepped out of the fireplace, and a red-headed girl followed close behind. A black haired boy came right after them.

They straightened into a line, nervously looking at Harry.

"Hmm." Albus cleared his throat. "Well, this is Percy," He said, gesturing towards the tallest red head, with brown eyes and a severe atmosphere around him."Fred, George," He continued, gesturing to the two twins, who had a more darker red colored hair, and bright green eyes, "Ron," Ron waved, and Harry grinned as he recognized the blue-eyed redhead, "And Ginny." The fire-headed girl blushed at Harry, and waved shyly.

"This is Dean," Albus said distractedly gesturing to the black-haired boy "And Seamus should be…" A curly-brown headed boy with a merry disposition about him tumbled out of the fireplace coughing.

"Sorry mates. Got caught when me Dad caught me rummaging through his beer cupboard. Got what you wanted though Albus. The beer, the vodka the-" Seamus suddenly froze when he realised who was in the room.

Lily raised her eyebrows. Seamus blushed. "Hi Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter! Fancy seeing you here! I was just saying that I got the.. oh never mind" He muttered.

"Smooth Seamus, real smooth." Albus muttered.

James grinned. "I didn't hear anything." He said, Lily sighing and whacking him on the arm exasperatedly.

She gave them a stern look. "No vodka in my house. Mr. Finnigan."

Seamus gave her a confused look. "What vodka Mrs. Potter?" He grinned.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Ok, that's all for now, Terry's coming later, Ernie couldn't make it, but Justin's coming over for dinner. I think that Ced might be coming. "

Harry stared. "Cedric? Cedric Diggory?"

"Yeah, Hogwarts Triwizard tournament winner."

Harry remembered that year. His father had been debating whether or not to have the fake Moody plant Albus's name in the Goblet, just to give everyone a scare and to kill off Albus. But he had decided against it when he realised that this might just fuel the wizard population's hate for him.

"He's one of my friends, and although he graduated a few years ago, he still likes to play Quidditch with us. Perce, Fred and George also come along whenever they can. It's kinda like a tradition with us."

"Oh."

"Well, everyone this is Har-Evan. Evan Potter. He's my cousin and he's going to be joining us today."

Seamus laughed. "Hey, hey wasn't you're mum's last name Evans? How 'bout that huh?"

Everyone looked at each other exasperatedly. Albus snorted. "Really?"

Lily hurried back to the kitchen saying, "Now, none of you boys get into trouble ok? I don't want to use any of the Skele-grow bottles James." She added sternly.

James cast an evil grin at the group. "Of course not." He said sinisterly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When everyone was there, people started dividing into teams.

"Alright, so for the best team on the pitch cause you have me as a captain….." James started

"Oi!" Albus said who was the other team captain.

"Anyway, for the beaters it's Fred and George, for the Keeper it's Remus, for the Chaser's we've got Sirius, me, and Ron, and as seeker we have Harr- I mean Evan. " James stated. "And we are called the…..RED-MARAUDERS!" He cried.

Harry scowled at being stuck on Jamesteam. What a lame name as well. He had been rooting for the Black Skull, but noooo.

"And on my team we have me as Seeker, Ginny, Dean, and Seamus as chasers, Terry as keeper, and Ced and Percy as beaters. Oliver is the ref, as he busted his knee-cap up during practice last week. And we are called….THE TWISTED FALCONS! "

Oliver blew his whistle, and they were off.

Harry flew around the pitch at top speed, as he found that when everything was in blurs, he could see the snitch better, as it usually kept the same speed as he was going, therefore not mixing into a blur but being a solid shape that Harry could see. Albus was up high, scanning the field.

"And Black scores! 10-0 for the Red-Marauders!" Lily said who was the commentator.

Harry zoomed around the field, and then spotted the snitch. He decided not to get the snitch now though, because the game had only just begun. The snitch floated away, and Harry floated up to glare at Albus who was on the other side of the pitch. Albus zoomed closer and said, "No hard-feelings, ok Evan? I've improved a lot, and could be playing for United-Puddlemere next year if I wanted to. I doubt where you come from, you hardly had anytime at all." He chuckled and flew off to the other side. Harry glared at him.

"Just you wait." He muttered.

"And, Finnigan scores...30-40 for the Twisted Falcons!" Came the commentator.

Harry heard a thud, and saw Sirius narrowly avoid a bludger hit by Percy. The bludger continued to zoom towards the platform, and Lily, oblivious to what was happening didn't see the bludger coming closer, and closer and….

Harry raced towards the bludger, and with a mighty 'thwack!" he hit it back towards the opposing team with his tail broom. Harry had been practicing this move for ages, as bludgers seem to come at him like magnets. Lily stared at him, mouth wide open.

"Y..you..just saved my life and…." Lily looked at him amazed.

"It..It was going to hit the twins as well. I wouldn't have minded if it had hit you." Harry said snidely. He couldn't forgive. They were lying, Harry reminded himself.

He zoomed off again. Then his heart gave an almighty dip. Albus was speeding towards the ground, a triumphant look on his face. Harry snarled, and used a new technique he had found. He rode the broom like a surf-board. This for some reason, made the broom go faster, and within seconds, he had reached Albus. Harry jumped back on his broom the correct way, and zoomed neck to neck with Albus towards the ground. 5 feet, 4 feet, 3 feet, Albus stretched his arm out, the snitch leveled with the ground and continued it's path, 2 feet...Albus leveled out and zoomed upwards, but Harry waited, 1 foot….Harry brought his broom up, jumped off it, up into the air, pushing off the ground as he made impact...And landed on his broom as it leveled out with the ground and zoomed after the snitch. He felt like punching the air with his fist. This had been a move he had been practicing for quite some time, and had resulted in a lot of broken bones. There was so much timing to it, Harry wasn't sure if he could do it on a broom that wasn't his.

The snitch led him on a wild goose chase, and Harry could sense Albus behind him. Harry had the lead though, but the snitch wasn't giving up so easily. Harry looked behind him, to see Albus a meter away, with a look of surprise on his face. Harry laughed, and went up, and up, and up. The air got colder, and Harry couldn't see the pitch anymore. Finally, the little snitch leveled out, and Harry reached out his arm. He grabbed the snitch, and yelled out in joy, only to falter, and stare in front of him. His worst fear was here.

Dementors.

Harry choked. He spoke in a low voice. "You know me. My father controls you. Do NOT come any closer." Still, the dementors closed in. Harry started to feel some panic. He was frozen to his broom, his worst memories coming back.

"_It's him! Take Albus and Harry! I'll hold him off!" _

"_YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!" _

"_You aren't a Potter."_

" _Siri! PADDIE! NO, Daddy please! Please don't…" James slapped Harry, and threw him against the wall. _

"_You hear me Harry? YOU HEAR ME? If I ever, ever see you contacting that...bastard again, you will pay. I swear, Harry, you WILL PAY!" _

"_Get Lilypad. Give her to Albus." _

"_LILYPAD!" _

"_This dog doesn't deserve to belong to you. You are nothing. You are dirt." _

Harry gasped, and urged his broom to go downwards…"ARGHHH!" Harry screamed out in pain, his eyes widening. And a whole flush of memories came into his brain.

"_Put this in the Potter's drink, Wormtail. It will make them have negative feelings towards Harry Potter." _

"No!" Harry howled. His father had betrayed him.

" _You listen to me, Potter. You WILL obey me. You will forget what you have seen here." Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry, who was frozen against the wall, looking at the bodies behind Voldemort. Harry looked at one women, who had her mouth wide open, and eyes full of fear. And she was dead. _

"_What have you done Father? What is this?" _

"_Hah! You honestly thought I cared about you? No, you are only a tool, worthless, nothing more than your brother or anyone else for that matter." _

"_Father…" Harry cried, as Voldemort smirked. _

"_You've seen too much. Obliviate!" _

Harry howled, plummeting downward, the snitch clenched in his hand. He was free-falling through the clouds…..

"_Nev!" Harry screamed as his brother was put under the cruciatus by their 'father'. _

"_SILENCIO! You are next, Potter. You directly disobeyed me. You shall pay! CRUCIO!" Voldemort screamed, turning his wand on Harry. _

"_Father….stop please! I just wanted to see the woods...please! No please!" _

"_Obliviate!" _

Harry had tears streaming out of his eyes as thousands upon thousands of memories rushed back, only cementing the betrayal his father had made.

"_Harry...don't cry..shhh….." Voldemort said, giving the boy a hug. "What is it son?" _

_Harry had only arrived a few days ago, but after coming near a dementor, he had experienced some terrible memories. _

"_They hate me! Why?" Harry hiccuped. _

"_I..I don't know. You didn't deserve to be treated like that. Come, do you want to play some Quidditch?" _

"_Yes Dad." _

_Voldemort looked surprised at the name his 'son' had given him. _

_They spent the afternoon with Neville, laughing and playing, when suddenly a shrill scream was heard. _

"_No...please, no! My daughter please! She's only a child...NOOO!" _

_A women dressed in tatters was dragged out onto the Quidditch pitch, a small girl following close behind. They were being levitated, and the girl was obviously under some type of torture spell. _

_Harry gasped and zoomed down, plucked the girl out of the air and laid her on the grass, the spell broken. He immediately began to soothe the crying 9 year old. He glared at the Death Eaters. _

"_You cruel, cruel idiots! Who do you think you are? Hurting an innocent child like that?" _

"_Er...she was necessary for the ritual. You know, the one that makes your...er father immortal?" _

"_And what does this ritual do?" Harry asked in a dangerously low voice. _

"_Well, the participants die...but give their life source and magic to the master of the ritual, the one who is conducting it. This one has very high magic levels. Her name's...Luna. Luna Lovegood. And I believe that you are a participant as we-" The man was cut of by a beam of green light. _

_Voldemort stormed over. _

"_Is...that true Father?" Harry whispered, eyes full of tears. _

"_Yes. OBLIVIATE!" _

Harry gasped, the Quidditch field coming closer, and the truth behind his feelings for the Potters came as well.

"_Crucio!" Voldemort smiled cruelly as the small 5 year old twisted in front of him. _

"_Peter?" Voldemort called. _

_The rat scurried in. "Yes my lord?" _

"_Bring the brat back to the Potters. I have tortured him enough. He shall remember this, but that the Potters did it. Hah!" _

_The small 5 year old looked defiantly up at the cruel man. "I won't forget. I shall make you pay! My parents care about me, as you just revealed! THEY CARE!" He screamed as a white light sped towards him. _

Harry watched the ground get closer and closer, barely caring anymore if he lived or died.

"_And you, my son, shall be tied to me with your life and magic. The only thing that will set you free is…" Voldemort paused and thought. _

"_If you learn to love your family again." _

Harry hit the ground with a sickening crack.

The snitch exploded, shards flying everywhere, leaving only the tiny broken wings, and the charmed gears.

Just like the snitch, Harry was broken, inside and out.

**Hope you all liked the chapter! If you think there still should be some sibling rivalry between Albus and Harry, please comment! **

**Next chapter should be up by….Monday? **


	8. Trust and Treachery

Chapter 8: Trust and Treachery

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter. **

Trust and Treachery

I fell of my broom.

What is my name?

Ha-Harr-Hadrian- Harry?

Potter...No Riddle.

I have a pet dog.

I HAD a pet dog.

My father killed my dog.

Not my real father.

My evil father.

He's not my father.

Paddie is my father.

Who is my father?

Who is my evil father?

Do I have a father?

I had a mother.

She didn't care.

Her name was Lily.

The dark lord father killed Lilypad.

Or was it the dark-haired father?

Definitely not the laughing father.

I don't know.

I remember now.

Hermione is my fiancee.

I love Hermione.

A lot.

I have a brother.

Not my real brother.

Neville is my brother.

Theo and Rosie are my siblings.

I don't like Albus.

Who do I trust?

All these thoughts were running around Harry's head. He didn't want to wake up. He was quite comfortable where he was. It was quite, dark and nobody was talking. If fact, he was so comfortable, Harry thought that maybe it would be best if he never woke up. Not having to face the pain.

No more pain.

Hermione.

Hermione.

HERMIONE!

Harry gasped. He couldn't stay in this dark spot. He had a love. He had Hermione.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily sat, holding her son's hand. He was breathing very shallowly, his chest only rising a little bit with each rasping gasp. James was pacing around the floor, running his hands through his hair. They were in St. Mungo's, and had been for over 2 weeks.

"Maybe we should call in...what's her name, Hermione." James said again.

"No. Then everyone will know that she is the fiancee of a known dark wizard. Besides, the only thing keeping Harry out of Azkaban is that he was only a child when he chose his side. The same won't apply to Hermione."

By now, everyone knew Harry's true identity. There had been a huge drama, as everyone knew that the Silver Mask was the Dark Lord's heir, and that that heir was none other than the long lost son of the Potters. When Rita Skeeter somehow got ahold of that information, there was no hiding it. Merlin knew how she got it, but the Daily Prophet had had a field day with Harry's true identity.

James stopped his pacing. "Siri is going mad outside. Since he isn't direct family, he can only visit during the visitor hours." He shook his head. "But we all know that Harry considers him his father."

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly Harry stirred.

"HE MOVED! QUICK, JAMES GET THE HEALER!" Lily yelled.

"Shh, he's saying something!" James said.

Harry stirred again. "Mmio...Mione…"

"I think he's talking! Quick, call Sirius in here!"

Soon Sirius, Lily and James were all huddled around the bedside, waiting for Harry to say something.

"Hermione." Was Harry's first understandable word.

James looked at Lily. "Get her." He said.

And this time, Lily agreed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ok, so let me get this straight. I have to go, underneath YOUR invisibility cloak? To see my potentially brain dead fiancee? And nobody thought to tell me, despite the fact that you knew I was going to marry him?" Hermione said, an imposing sight, as she berated James.

"I'm sorry, but Lily just didn't think that-"

"I don't care a damn about what you and your wife think. You both neglected Harry, he hated you, and thought it would be a good idea to be the ones by his deathbed?"

James looked taken aback by Hermione's straightforward attitude.

James shuffled his feet. "It wasn't our fault." He muttered.

Hermione threw him a disgusted look. "You sure? Because I remember Harry telling me about your neglect of him. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't anyone else." She apparated out, leaving a dumbstruck James.

James slowly shook his head and chuckled. "Just like Lily."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry could hear something. It sounded like Sirius.

"I...Nice to meet you Hermione. Harry's told me all about you."

A familiar voice murmured back. Harry couldn't quite make out the words.

"I….fiancee….thought it was….idea…"

He felt a tickle of hair on his skin, and breathed in the scent of parchment and ink. Hermione.

"Please...all of you leave." She said, as she bent over Harry, looking for any signs of life.

There were none.

Harry struggled in vain to move his hands and feet. He could feel distress radiating off Hermione.

"Hey…"

A sob echoed around the room, and Harry felt a tear on his face.

Harry tried to move his mouth, but it wouldn't.

"Harry...you are an idiot sometimes…" Another sob.

"I just want you to know...that I love you, and that if you want to let go, it's ok. Alright? I'll….I'll get you home, to your real family. Make sure they know about...well… you know. I...I don't know what I'll do without you though-"

Hermione hiccuped and chuckled, tears falling fast from her face.

" I remember the first time I met you. You were so polite...and immediately I fell in love with you. I love you, Harry James Potter. I love you, Hadrian Riddle. I love you Harry."

"Nobody knows about us...But I was so excited for the future! My entire life, just with you. I couldn't wait and now….."

"That's all gone."

Harry tried to lift his hand to wipe the tears off her face, but he couldn't.

"I love you Harry, please! Please wake up! I...I don't know what I'm going to do without you!"

Hermione was beginning to get a bit hysterical.

"I...I'm sorry Harry. I'm sorry for being such a selfish prat. You can let go. Your injuries are...impossible. A broken back, fractured skull, all four limbs broken, cracked ribs, and broken neck. It's healing but...It's a wonder your still alive. And the healers think you may be brain dead. But if you can hear me, and if you're in pain...It's ok Harry. I just want you to know that I love you." Hermione said, calming down, running her hand through Harry's messy hair.

Harry, hearing Hermione's pain, broke through the haze.

"Mione?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Fractured skull-Healed. Cracked ribs-Healed. Broken back-HEALED!" The healer said, amazed.

Harry grinned, and kissed Hermione on the cheek. "See? There was nothing to be worried about. All those declarations of love, hysterics, all for nothing."

Hermione slapped him playfully. "Shhh. I want to hear."

"All four limbs-Healed. Broken neck-Healed. But, you received a minor concussion, so any recollection, thoughts or memories you had as you were falling are gone. When you woke up, you triggered the magical concussion, so therefore your mind is completely blank from any thoughts you might have had during the fall. As far as I can see, that is the only thing that affected you."

"A medical miracle."

"Amazing."

Harry was hearing all these words as the gathered healers checked him out. He was beginning to get a bit annoyed. "So, the minor concussion is why there is a huge blank in some of my thoughts? That's odd. I must have….remembered some stuff." Harry frowned.

"Amazing."

"Look, I know I'm amazing and all, yadda yadda yadda, but can you please get a move on?" Harry said exasperatedly.

"Oh...sorry. Er, we're going to have to do a final check up. If you'll follow me please, Miss." He beckoned towards Hermione who wheeled Harry who was in a wheelchair into the examination room.

Harry sighed. This was probably going to take a long time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The healer came out into the examination room with a the results and a grave face.

"And?" Harry said impatiently.

"Well...The results aren't at all what we expected. A lot came out. On a whim, we decided to check your magical core to see if that had anything to do with your miraculous recovery. And...well you'll see." The healer said quickly, and handed the results over.

Hermione and Harry gaped at the paper.

Magical core/blocks/powers/ inheritances/healing:

90% magical core block

50% animagus block (numerous animagi)

90% wandless magic block

100% inheritance block

100% soul bond block

100% elemental block

**SOUL BOND: HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER **

Inheritances: 100% blocked (Apart from direct line-House of Potter)

Heir to: House of Potter (James Charlus Potter current Lord)

Heir to-Salazar Slytherin

Heir to - Godric Gryffindor

Heir to- House of Black (Sirius Orion Black currant Lord)

Heir to- House of Merlin

Heir to- House of Pendragon (Arthur Pendragon)- Through line of Evans

Heir to- House of Peverall (Rights stolen by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, currently in possession of Elder Wand)

Elemental powers:

Fire

Wind

Animagi:

Golden Grim (Family line)

Wind horse

Connections/curse scars/curses/extra powers/talents:

Curse scar-Avada Kedavra-Tom Marvolo Riddle

Parseltongue

Permanent glamour

Wandless magic

Animagi

Compulsion charm to hate the Potters.

Quidditch

**Was **part of the accipere virtutem ritual.

Attempted loyalty potion (aut mori fide)

Accipere Virtutem: To take power ritual.

Magical core power:

**With blocks: **9

**Without blocks: **Merlin.12

"MERLIN!" Hermione shrieked. "Do you have any idea what that means? Merlin was...unbelievably powerful. Merlin is the top amount of power you can have, and with your blocks you have a 9. 10 is the most powerful on the normalcy scale, basically 10 is what a very powerful wizard has, then comes Founder level also incredibly rare, which by the way Dumbledore is at, then Pendragon level EXTREMELY RARE, and then Merlin! And the number scale for Merlin is 1-10. AND YOU HAVE A BLOODY 12!" Hermione said, her eyes bugging out.

Harry was still gaping at the paper. "There hasn't been a Merlin, since, well, Merlin himself. And it's all hypothetical. Only magic can determine what level magic you have. I mean...pah!" Hermione was in a state. "I can't believe this! I mean honestly what...I mean….urhghal!"

"I think that they will need to rewrite the entire protocol." Harry whispered.

Hermione stomped over to him and said, "You think?"

Harry shook his head slowly. "I mean….It's just that...the Accipere Virtutem ritual? That's serious stuff. I mean….all my magic could have been stolen but….sombody stopped the ritual, giving me all of my stolen magic back. I...I don't know who it was,...but there's this niggling at the back of my head that's telling me I do know…...Huh." Harry scratched his head, only to wince from the sharp pain. The bruises he had gotten from the accident hadn't faded yet.

Hermione shook her head frustratedly. "I need the library…" She said absentmindedly.

Harry chuckled. "Course you do Mione. What do you think, how about we tell my father and the Potters?"

Hermione looked at him sharply. "You mean...you consider Sirius to be your father rather than….V..Voldemort?" She winced.

Harry sighed. "I...I don't know. The only thing that's worrying me is this," He waved his hands around him, "Compulsion whadda thingy. I mean honestly! That's one of the most standard spells in the book, and it was cast on ME?"

Hermione laughed. "Yes, and be thankful that that can be removed instantaneously. Com'n Harry, let's go tell your...blood relatives." She kissed Harry lightly and wheeled him out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily stared open mouthed at the paper; James was a pasty pale color, and Sirius was busy dancing around the room.

"Ok, one, the line of Evans isn't muggle?"

"AHAHAHHA! HE'S BLOODY MERLIN COME TO EARTH! HAHAHAH!" Sirius said hysterically.

"Calm down Pad." Harry said grinning.

James pointed at the paper, mouth still open, and tried to grab it, only to miss it. He tried again, stood up, and promptly collapsed in a faint.

Lily shook her head. "I...no….Merlin? That means that…"

"I'm Merlin re-incarnate."

"Merlin himself stated that one day he would come back, to save the world from desolation. He...I mean you would have the highest level of power...ever.I mean….come on!" Sirius said, chuckling.

Harry gazed at the paper. "No wonder I survived the Avada Kedavra as a baby; I was way too powerful. Ha! And he said that I was connected to him!" Harry said scornfully, thinking of the betrayal of Voldemort.

Lily shook her head. "So...it wasn't Albus. It was...you." She said quietly.

Harry sneered. "So you finally realized, huh? That all those years of pampering King Albus wasn't worth it?"

Lily shook her head sadly and cast her eyes downwards.

"There is a compulsion charm...for you to hate us." She said softly.

Harry scoffed. "Hah. Like I care. Good riddance. I think I'll keep the charm." His eyes burned with hate. He couldn't forgive himself for..for falling when he had been faced with dementors. He had wasted his one chance to try and get away!

James furrowed his brow. "Don't tell anyone...not yet. I think we should wait." He said, glancing uncertainly at Harry. "Don't even tell Dumbledore."

Harry turned to Hermione, his face much softer than it had been before." I want you checked as well, Mione."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose. I wonder whether any blocks have been put on me?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You have got to be bloody joking!" Sirius exclaimed as they looked at Hermione's results.

Magical core/blocks/powers/ inheritances/healing:

90% magical core block

100% animagus block (numerous animagi)

100% inheritance block

100% soul bond block

100% elemental block

**SOUL BOND: HARRY JAMES POTTER (HADRIAN RIDDLE) **

INHERITANCES:

Heiress to- House of Morgana

Heiress to- Rowena Ravenclaw

Heiress to-Helga Hufflepuff

Heiress to- House of Granger

Elemental powers:

Water

Animagi:

White Grim

Water horse

Any other powers/curses/talents:

Parseltongue (through soul bond if activated)

Magical core power:

**With blocks: **8

**Without blocks: **Pendragon -10

Sirius pointed at the paper, and gulped. "I won't be getting on your bad side any time soon."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is a very dangerous process. Since you both are extremely powerful, removing the blocks can be very dangerous. You will have to completely clear your minds. No thoughts."

Harry and Hermione both were sitting on the floor, each dressed in black silk, which was the only material that wouldn't harm them during the process. They were separated by one of the most resistant materials towards magic; Glass infused with dragon essence. Only a high source of magic could break it, so they were probably safe.

The medics were separated also by Dragon Glass, and as they started chanting, Harry felt something start to stir inside of him. He closed his eyes, and thought of nothing, just as the healers had instructed.

The chanting started to become louder and louder, certain words dipping lower than the others, others higher. It was like a dance, a complex pattern, weaving it's way through Harry's soul.

All of a sudden, Harry felt something rip inside of him. It hurt, and he groaned, an unseen wind whipping around him. He glanced through the glass and saw that Hermione was in a similar state.

Harry bit his lip to keep himself from screaming, as the pain inside him grew and grew. Then, with an audible tear, like the sound of thick canvas ripping, the pain was gone, and in it's place was a type of freedom, one that Harry had never experienced before.

Harry yelled, and the glass shattered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, Mione, I'm so sorry, I…" Harry was apologizing profusely to a shaken Hermione who had a cut on her forehead where she was cut by a piece of Dragon Glass.

"It's alright Harry, it's just a cut!" Hermione said, for the millionth time.

"Er..I suppose." Harry said, but glanced worriedly at the miniscule cut. "Maybe you should have it checked for infections...I don't know, I heard that the Thestral cold is going around, and that they can be transferred through open wounds and…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Hadrian Riddle. I. AM. FINE. Now, love, can you just get me a glass of water?" She said sweetly.

Harry rushed away, and Hermione sighed fondly at her fiancee.

James came and sat by her. "What's he like….I mean, you know him better than us." James said, eyes downcast.

Hermione looked at James curiously. While she didn't necessarily like the man after the pain they had put Harry through, Hermione felt something off about Harry's neglect. It was as if...as if James and Lily hadn't been in their own minds when they neglected.

"He's very brave, for starters. Not..not Gryffindor brave, he actually thinks before rushing head-first into a battle. Not that he thinks in a way that will better himself...he just makes a plan, and then rushes headlong into a battle." Hermione chuckled, remembering how Harry dived into the Hogwarts lake to retrieve a silly necklace for her, in the middle of the winter.

James turned towards her, eyes hopeful. "And?"

"He's incredibly funny and sarcastic. And sweet. So sweet. Once when I was sick in bed, he snuck INTO Hogwarts, don't ask me how he got past the wards, and made me chicken broth himself in the Room of Requirement, and spent the entire day making me feel better. And he left without hurting anyone, or doing anything for his side. I was amazed really. He risked everything for a bowl of chicken soup. It was quite funny."

James hung onto her every word, sucking up the information like a starving man eating his first meal in months.

"He's very talented. Extremely. As you can see by the results on his power level." Hermione chuckled.

"I love him, Mr. Potter. And if you do anything to hurt him, I swear, I will not hesitate to hurt you back." Hermione said determinedly.

James smiled sadly. "I understand, my dear. You do after all, have an inactive Soul Bond."

Hermione looked curious. "Er… I never encountered this before in books...could you tell me what it is?" She said, looking disgruntled that books hadn't provided her with the necessary information.

James grinned. "Well, for one, you should know that Lils and I have a Soul Bond. And two, the reason why it is not in any books, is because it is literally to sacred to be written down. The words don't appear, because Soul Bonds are story legends, or word-of-mouth, and therefore, don't appear on paper."

"Amazing…" Hermione breathed, her eyes alight. "So, how do you activate one?"

James rolled his eyes. "It's rather anti-climax really. Lily and I didn't exactly know what it meant when we found out, so we asked my grandfather. Basically, what a soul bond does is link to souls together in the most sacred of ways. They are, in other words, perfect for each other, complement each other in every single way. The way of bonding is marriage really. As soon as you are married, you can activate the soul bond, if you have one that is, and you both are bonded. Each pair experiences a type of..vision, almost of the future they will have together, but all the people present just see a bright white light, and then, eh voila, you have your bonded couple."

Hermione looked disappointed. "That's….simple, I suppose. Are there only a few bonded couples?"

"No. Surprisingly, everyone has a soul mate. But, sometimes, the love someone even more, someone magic didn't think suited that person when they were younger. But of course, people change. So, nobody has to go to their Soul Bond; few people do. Sometimes soul bonds are very ill matched, as they are made at birth, and people change a lot over time."

"Oh…."

James grinned. "Yeah, Remus had a soul bond with Narcissa Malfoy of all people, but her parents ignored it, resulting in her marrying Lucius Malfoy."

Hermione started. Draco Malfoy was one of Harry's best friends, and Harry had told her that his parents argued a lot, resulting in Draco being extremely unhappy at times. He often came to Riddle Manor when the arguing was at it's worst.

"Did..did they...like each other?" Hermione asked cautiously, suspecting there was more to the story than James was letting on.

James's face darkened. "Like is the understatement of the century. They were mad about each other. However, Narcissa was a Slytherin and a pureblood, and Remus was a Gryffindor, a werewolf, and a half-blood, whose wizarding side descended from Squibs. When Narcissa's father found out, he...well let's just say he wasn't to happy. So anyway, Narcissa's family found out about how Lucius Malfoy harbored a rather big crush on Narcissa. However, Narcissa abhorred him, and did anything to get away from him. Anyway, Narcissa and Remus were planning to get married after school, when suddenly Narcissa backed out, and married Lucius Malfoy. Nobody knows why. Remus was heart-broken, and sunk into despair. He tried several times talking to her, but each time Lucius would throw him out. Eventually Narcissa came to his house and told him to get the hell out of her life and leave them alone. She swore she no longer loved Remus, and she broke it to him in a very….harsh manner. Remus stopped trying to contact her, and tried to get over her only when he heard she was pregnant with Draco Malfoy. He's never been the same since….But recently he has started talking more and more to Nymphadora Tonks, the niece of Narcissa, who is only, coincidentally 7 years younger than him. " James shook his head sadly. "I just wish I could turn back time and prevent this...this heartbreak by never encouraging their love for each other. I was the reason they found out they had a soul bond!" James ran his hand through his hair.

"It's alright.." Hermione said, trying to console the man. He looked so depressed, Hermione realised. And it's true. Remus was never really there, Harry had said. Each time he came, he was sad and quiet. Hermione remembered how Harry never really harbored a grudge towards Remus, because while he showered Albus with attention when he was in a good mood, he treated Harry almost equally.

"Hermione, could you quickly help me?" Came Harry's voice, echoing through the long hospital halls. He was trying to wheel the wheelchair, but was failing.

Hermione laughed. "Course. Now, look…." And she started to explain the functions of the wheelchair to Harry.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry sighed and limped up the stairs. He had been released from St. Mungo's just a few hours ago, and was disappointed that Voldemort hadn't managed to get him out from there. Now he would have to go to Hogwarts, where security was at it's finest. Albus Dumbledore lived there, and as long as he would live, Hogwarts would never fall. Harry was certain of that.

He sighed again and lay down on his bed, gazing up at the ceiling. It was July 31st, which meant that tomorrow he would be off. Only his parents and Dumbledore knew about Hermione, so she was protected….so far. Almost everyone knew who Harry was, and he had been on the end of many howlers, curses and hexes, as well as sympathetic letters. He hated it.

Harry turned over and shut his eyes. They had gone to Diagon Alley today, and Harry had gotten a new wand, because his other two were under examination for any links they might have that might help Harry escape. Harry's new wand, phoenix feather and holly wasn't as powerful as his other wand, but it would do. However, Harry couldn't dismiss the fact that the Potters were trying to make the trip as memorable as possible, even taking pictures. Harry scoffed, remembering his real first time to Diagon Alley, with his father under glamour.

_Flashback: _

"_Sooo...we're going to Diagon Alley today?" Harry asked, nearly bouncing off the walls, while Neville rejoiced happily. _

_Voldemort rolled his eyes. "Yes you two, we are going to Diagon Alley, or more pacifically, Knockturn alley." _

_The effect was immediate. Harry stopped bouncing happily, and stared at his new father with astounded eyes. _

"_But...but Knockturn alley is for dark witches and- ohhhhh" Harry said, a slow smirk coming over his face. "Ha! I'm a dark wizard now!" Harry said, chuckling. _

"_Come on you two, let's go. Now, I hope you've used floo before. Just shout, 'Borgin and Burkes' and then I'll meet you there." _

_Harry nervously stepped up to the fireplace, holding a handful of the glittery green floo powder. _

_Harry took a deep breath, threw the powder down and shouted "Borgin and Bu-ahhhh!" Harry spun of, leaving a scared Neville and an amused Voldemort. _

"_You think he'll be ok?" Neville asked. _

"_Yeah." Voldemort replied casually. "Now come on, get a move on. Meet you there." _

_Meanwhile, Harry had slid out of the fireplace of Florean Fortescue. He cursed, and hid behind a table, when he heard some familiar voices. _

"_Mum, I want an ice-cream!" Albus whined. _

"_Yes Albie, just wait for your father." Lily replied. Her face looked tired, but softened whenever she looked at Albus. _

"_Why did we even have to go here? I mean, I wanted to stay at home, and just relax, but you insisted on going here. I mean, what's the point? Diagon Alley is sooooo boring. We went here yesterday! And tomorrow I have to go to Hogwarts. I wanted to say goodbye to Seamus, but you wouldn't let me!" Albus whined even more. _

_It had been approximately a month since Harry had disappeared. He crawled closer to the table, scowling. Why was he even interested in what they had to say? _

_Albus sighed. "Alright Mum. Fine. But can I at least get an ice-cream?" _

_Harry couldn't believe his ears. Was Albus saying….that it was alright to do something he didn't want for once? _

_Lily ruffled her son's hair affectionately. "Yeah. Alright. Oh, look, there's your father!" _

_Harry hastily shoved himself under a table as James walked in. He sat down with his wife and son, his eyes tired and sad, but his face smiling. _

"_Heya Potters!" James said. _

"_Hi Dad." Albus said. _

"_Alright, Lils what is it. Got any news on….well you know?" _

_Harry wondered what they meant by 'you know'. He dared to hope….maybe they meant him? _

"_No. I think we should give up James. I...I don't want to talk about that right now." _

"_Sorry Lils." _

"_Ok...well the reason I called you all here today is because...well because...well….I'm pregnant." _

_The reaction was immediate. Harry's head shot up so fast that it hit the table, and had to refrain himself from cursing, while James's face was ecstatic, and Albus was gaping at his mother. _

"_I'm...I'm going to be a Daddy again!" James said gleefully. _

"_I'm going to be a big brother!" Albus said, Lily's comment finally registering in his mind. _

"_Yeah….Well, I forgot to announce it because of...well you know, and I...I was afraid for a while that the stress of the press would cause me to have a miscarriage. Anyway, here I am, telling you that I am now 3 months along!" Lily said smiling. _

"_Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Albus asked. _

_Lily smiled. "Well, I think that it's a girl. I don't know." _

_James chuckled. "What about twins? They are rather common in the Potter family." _

_Lily scowled. "I hope they're not." _

_James suddenly realised what she meant and his face darkened. "Yeah. Never mind. Twins have only caused us pain and misery. I hope never to have to deal with that again." He spat. _

_Albus looked at his parents. "Er...what are you all talking about?" _

"_Well… Harry's birth only made things-…..-" _

_Harry didn't hear the rest. He ran towards the exit, not hearing the shouts behind him. Luckily Voldemort had had the foresight to put glamour on him, so he wasn't recognised. _

_Lily looked strangely at the young youth running out of Florean Fortescue's. "Anyway as I was saying, Harry's birth made things hard because along with yours marked the fact that one of you would be in great danger. Therefore, when you were...well when you saved us all, Harry was neglected. Twins are hard, because they are so similar…. I just wish we had been the parents we were supposed to be!" Lily said tearfully. _

_James ran his hand through his hair. "It's caused us pain and misery, but we deserved it." _

_Harry ran through the streets, not caring who he bumped into. A tear slipped down his face, and he angrily wiped it away. Finally, he saw the sign, 'Knockturn Alley" messily carved into a building. The arrow underneath the sign pointed to a dark and shady looking Alley. _

_Harry walked cautiously into the Alley, and stepped into a small shop that said 'Borgin and Burkes.' There he saw Voldemort angrily pacing the floor, and Neville looking worried. _

_Voldemort grabbed the small ratty looking man that was obviously the owner of the shop and snarled at him. "Find Hadrian, NOW!" He roared. Sparks flew out of his wand which he held loosely at his side. _

_Harry stepped out of the shadows. "It's ok Dad, I'm here." _

_Voldemort calmed down and walked over to Harry and ruffled his hair. "Ok, so you need to practice using floo." He said, rolling his eyes. _

_Harry smirked. "Well, I'll have you know that I did just fine by myself." He said. _

_Neville came up to Harry and eyed him with obvious relief. "Didn't bump into anyone...undesirable?" He asked cautiously. _

_Harry paused. "Nope." He said. He didn't want to worry them. Harry had been a bit emotional whenever they got near the subject of his former family. The scars of being neglected would never fade. _

"_Alright, let's go! Off to get your first wands!" Voldemort said. The store owner looked at him in shock. Lord Voldemort almost sounded…..excited. _

_They entered a dank alley, that was empty apart from a mangy flea bitten cat. Voldemort pushed open a door, and they entered a well lit, small shop, that was filled to the brim with small, rectangular boxes, that obviously held wands. _

_Everywhere. Literally. Harry looked down on the floor, and found himself walking on boxes, the cardboard bending slightly underneath his weight. _

_Voldemort cleared his throat uncertainly, and in a flash, a red-headed, middle aged man was by his side. Harry saw something in his eyes, but couldn't distinguish what it was. _

_The man grinned, and called, "Uncle! We've got customers!" _

_There was a sound of boxes falling, and from one of the many heaps that occupied the rooms, a tall, gangly middle-aged man emerged. He had lots of brilliant white hair, with a streak of black in it. It was combed over his head nicely, and his black eyes glittered. _

"_Customers you say...hmmm? Now then…..What is your name, young sir?" He asked Harry, his voice deep and rumbling. _

_Harry glanced at his father for support. "H.h...harry sir." He said stuttering as the tall man loomed over him. _

_The man dived into a pile of boxes, only to emerge a second later. "Last name?" _

"_Riddle." Harry said confidently. _

_The old man waved him off. "No no no, your real last name." _

_Harry looked surprised. _

"_Oh, don't give me that! Your real wand won't react to you unless I know your real name. Everything about you, so take of that glamour please, is important." _

"_Potter." Harry said, his eyes sad. _

_The old man looked at him pityingly. "Now, you two, please leave the room." _

_Voldemort spluttered, or as much as a dark lord can splutter. "I'm sorry?" _

"_Leave." The old man said sternly. _

_Neville and Voldemort went to wait outside, and Harry looked at the old man. _

_The old man grinned, and beckoned with his hand for Harry to follow. _

"_Come with me. Harry Potter, hmm? Well, as soon as I saw you enter this shop, I knew something was different about you. For one, your glamour was terrible, but then what did I expect? Tom Riddle was always terrible at glamours, apart from the one he wears normally." _

_Harry started at hearing his father's real name._

_The old man looked slyly at him. "And then I felt your power. Amazing. But...there is something blocking it. You have quite a bit of power, young one. Anyway, then I thought, this one's going to need a special wand. And then...when you said your name, I knew that you were Harry Potter, and that there was a special wand that had been waiting for centuries, just for you." _

_Harry must have looked shocked, as the old man chuckled. "Yes, just for you. Your power level is very high, underneath the blocki-" The old man stopped,made a sound as if he was choking, and closed his eyes. "Never mind." He said, his voice a little higher than it had been. _

_The man led Harry into a small back room, that was cool and dusty. On the floor, there were circles, carved inside each other, each one smaller than the last. The wandmaker muttered a few indistinguishable words, and a small pedestal rose out of the smallest circle. On top, held upright by a pure gold stand, sat a wand that practically radiated power. _

_Harry felt some sort of familiarity as he reached for the wand. The wand itself was smooth, with a few bumps in it,straight, not to thin, not too thick. It had strange carvings on the side, each carving gleaming as if it held a light inside of it. The wood was an ashy type of white, but as Harry reached for it, small black lines began creeping through the white. There was a black piece of leather wrapped around the wand, and looked as if it had been molded over many years to fit into one hand. _

_Harry grasped the wand, and his hand fit perfectly inside the molding. As his hand settled into the grip, the wand shook, and emitted a sound. It sounded as if a man was laughing, a nice, deep rumbling laugh that warmed Harry a little bit. The wand emitted a flash, and then all was quiet once more. _

_The wandmaker looked around him and beckoned Harry closer. _

"_You need another wand," He breathed inside Harry's ear. "And whatever you do, don't tell anyone about this wand, until you know the truth. Only use it if you are about to die until you get the blo-" He clawed at his throat looking very annoyed. _

"_Fine, fine! I won't tell him!" He yelled up at the ceiling. _

_Harry took a step back. "Er...Sir, are you ok?" _

_The wandmaker had been muttering something to himself that sounded oddly like "Her…..ne….stu….mea….needs….not….. " and at Harry's sentence jumped and beamed. _

"_Now to get your seco- wand m'boy!" He said, choking slightly on his words. However this time he didn't look annoyed, he looked nervous. _

_Harry looked curiously at the wand. "What is this made out of?" He asked. _

_The man smiled. "I can't tell you that. You'll find out some day. Come, let's go find your other wand." _

_For another half-hour they tried out wands. Birch, Elm, holly, everything. Finally the wandmaker sighed. "Well, I guess you are a special boy. None of these woods reacted to you, so I guess I'll try the rarest wood in the shop that has yet to find an owner." _

_The old man shuffled into the back, and a few minutes later returned with a dusty wooden box. He opened it and held out the wand reverently to Harry. The wand itself was almost transparent, with parts of the wand going up and down. The handle was smoothed out and carved into a snake. It was wrapped around the wand._

"_Crystal tree. The most rarest type of plant in the world. Only one tree on record. This was made by my 23rd great-grandfather. The inside is made of silver-phoenix feather, the essence of a basilisk, and a sliver off Godric Gryffindor's own Griffin's claw. All these things contradict each other, yet work so well. One mistake while making this, well...that wouldn't have been pretty. Very rare." _

_For the second time that day, Harry grasped a wand. This time, the wand didn't emit such a dramatic reaction, but instead let loose a shower of red and green sparks. _

"_Rare, you say." Came a voice behind Harry. _

_Harry turned excitedly towards his father, jumping up and down. "Look! Crystal tree!" He said._

_Neville was just as excited as Harry. "Awesome! One of the most rarest types of plants on the planet! Can..can I hold it?" He whispered. _

_Harry rolled his eyes and handed his new wand to Neville, who cradled it as if it were a baby. Neville had a thing for plants. _

_Voldemort ruffled Harry's hair gruffly. "Well done, Harry." _

_Harry hugged his father, but was careful to conceal the other wand, concealed inside his jacket. _

_Next was Neville's turn, who got an Elm wand, with a core of Dragon heartstring, mandrake leaf, and essence of devil's snare. _

"_That will be 25 galleons please. Oh, Mr. Longbottom, just so that you know, your wand will be great with Herbology." The old man said happily._

_Harry stuck out his hand. "Thank you Mr…." he trailed off, suddenly realising he didn't know the wandmakers name. _

_The old man winked. "Sorry m'boy, but you're not allowed to know that." His eyes twinkled, and for a second, his black eyes turned into a brilliant green, his hair into jet black with many white streaks, and on his forehead a lightning shaped scar appeared. Harry heard the same loud rumbling laugh again, and then all was silent once more, the wandmaker gone, and in his place, a small nervous pody man, who wiped of the sweat from his brow. _

_Harry was nonplussed. "I..er…" Had he just seen….himself?_

"_Mr. Dinkel, Mr. Riddle. Pleasure meeting you Mr. Riddle. Quite a special wand you got there…." He laughed nervously, an annoying squeaky sound. _

_Harry stumbled backwards into his father, who looked vaguely annoyed. "B...bb...but what just happened to...to the other guy….?" He said, stuttering. _

_Voldemort sighed. "Harry, Dinkel's been here all along. I think you're tired. Let's go home." _

_He led Harry and Neville away. Harry glanced backwards. For a second, he swore he saw an old man with a long beard and the same brilliant emerald eyes as the other wand maker on the rooftops, but when he rubbed his eyes, the old man was gone. _

_Harry decided he must have hallucinated everything. But the next morning, the wand was still there. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

The wand that Harry had gotten that day was currently in a very secret hiding place in Riddle Manor. Nobody would ever find it, as it only opened to Harry's exact hand and DNA, an idea Harry had stolen from the muggle movies he sometimes watched.

Harry had only used the wand once, to disastrous consequences. His magic had gone out of control, and he had accidently burned half of the Riddle Forest down. He hadn't told his father about his second wand, or even Neville. He had even gotten another wand for battle, just incase, and refrained from taking the special wand with him, as he knew deep down that the time wasn't right yet for him to use it, and that he would know when it was time.

Harry now knew it WAS time. He had done some research on blocks, and he had found out that when you had blocks in place, and had an extremely high level of power, then often when you tried to wield a wand that was suitable to your level of power without blocks, then the blocks would make your magic go wild.

Harry needed to get his wand back. The new one, while suitable, didn't seem to understand him as his old crystal wand did. And Harry was sure that the special wand would be even more suited to him. However he couldn't forget the sense of familiarity the wand had given him.

As Harry lay on his old bed in Potter Manor, he thought about the changes tomorrow would bring. Tomorrow he would be on a train to Hogwarts, to be sorted. He wouldn't be joking around with Neville as he'd hoped. Harry remembered his mission, and the fact that he would be with Hermione 24/7, provided he'd be sorted into Gryffindor. Harry would be going into Hogwarts as himself, as an unfortunate article by Rita Skeeter had revealed to everyone who he was. Harry vowed that he would squish her once his father took over the wizarding world.

"Er, Harry...Dinner!" A voice called. Lily.

Harry sighed. He didn't want to eat dinner with them. He wanted to sit alone in his room and sulk that his father hadn't rescued him yet.

Harry sat down at the table, and began scooping food onto his plate, not sparing a glance at his family, apart from Theo and Rosie. They sat there in an awkward silence, until James decided to break it.

"So, Albus, excited about going back?" James asked.

Albus shrugged noncommittally. "I guess. 7th year and stuff. Head Boy...well it's a pretty big honor. I...I wonder who's going to be Quidditch captain though? They said that they would choose after try-outs or something."

Harry smirked, silently into his food. Perhaps it would be a good idea to try out for this Quidditch team. It would definitely piss Albus off if he got Quidditch Captain.

"And? Any….special girls we should know of?" James asked, amusement clear on his face.

Albus shook his head regretfully. "Nah….not yet anyway." Then his face lit up. "But Hermione Granger...wow! I've liked her for years now. And, this year, I'm going to get her. I will." He said, determinedly.

James glanced uneasily at Harry, who was glowering at Albus. "Er...ok."

Albus, oblivious to Harry's gaze, carried on. "And, I know exactly how. For years she's told me no, because apparently she was waiting for some guy. And also, along with that comment, she told me I was an arse, etc etc." He said, rolling his eyes. "But, I've tried very hard, and I've changed. Besides, Ron told me she's Head Girl. And I'm Head Boy. And….there'll be a lot of spending time together…..walking dark corridors together….she won't be able to say no!" Albus finished proudly.

Harry growled into his food, but his heart warmed at the thought of Hermione turning down Albus because she was "waiting" for him.

Lily cleared her throat after observing Harry's grumpy face. "Alright everyone...I have an announcement to make. A..a rather big one, and I wanted to share it with everyone while we are still all at home."

James looked confused. "Lils?"

Lily took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Goodbye! Oh, be safe Albus! I can't believe that my son's in his final year!" Lily wept.

Harry scowled. Although he might pretend he didn't care, he wished that his mother had at least mentioned him, despite the fact that she was still angry at him. After Lily's announcement, Harry had laughed and scorned them by saying that any baby living in this household would grow up unhappy and unloved. Lily had cried at this, and Harry had then left the table.

Harry was about to board the train when he felt a hand on his shoulder, which pulled him around and into a hug. It was Lily.

She held him tight, not allowing Harry to break free from her bear hug. "Don't worry Harry, I didn't forget about you. Now, look, I love you a lot, no matter what you might think. Just remember that." She murmured. Something wet dropped onto Harry's cheek, and he realised that Lily was crying. Awkwardly he patted her back, and hugged her. It felt….normal, natural in a way. Harry realised that this was the first proper hug he had gotten from Lily ever since he was 4.

Lily kissed his head, delighted that Harry was allowing her to hug him. She let him go, straightened his clothing, and pushed him in the direction of the train. She waved, her face alight with happiness.

Harry couldn't believe that he had just hugged Lily willingly. He was supposed to hate her, remember? Harry lightly scolded himself. However, it just felt...nice, being able to hug...his...his mother. Harry shook himself, hugged Rosie and Theo who were bawling about not being able to go on the train, coldly nodded at James, who gruffly patted him on the shoulder. Once on the train he was greeted by an Auror who took the wandless magic cuffs of him.

Once that was done, Harry felt light, as light as air. His delight only increased when the Auror handed him his old wand. Once Harry grasped it, he was whole again. He put the wand in his wand holster, and went on the way to find a compartment.

Once in the compartment, he settled down. He and Hermione had agreed to pretend NOT to be friends, to avoid suspicion.

Harry was about to fall asleep, when a tapping on the window alerted him.

A raven black owl flew into the compartment, and Harry opened the parchment paper. Inside was his father's elegant script;

Harry,

I trust you are doing well. I heard about your accident from playing Quidditch, but I can't say that I was surprised. Sounds just like you. However I don't know how serious it is. Any brain damage? You are probably on your way to Hogwarts. Once there, it is going to be very impossible to break out. I tried St. Mungo's, and the Potter residence, but the old fool Dumbledore warded those places magnificently. I couldn't do a better job myself. Anway, change of plans. No more trying your best to get out. Instead, I want you to gain the people's trust and like. They will see you as a normal, popular student, and once they remember that you are my son (I saw that article by that damned Rita Skeeter women; remind me to kill her when I have full control), they might be persuaded easily to join my side. Take care of yourself Hadrian. Neville is worried sick, and I'm thinking about sending him in as the "long lost son" of the Longbottoms, just to tease them. Hmmm...that's an idea. Anyway, don't make any trouble….well, scratch that, make trouble but make it ANONYMOUSLY!

Be safe my son,

Lord Voldemort, your father.

P.S- I hope that the Potters had not annoyed you to much. DON'T TRUST THEM!

And...Neville wants to speak to-

Harry-

Whatever you do DON'T TRUST THOSE EVIL POTTERS! Ok? Got it bro? I might be coming in...you never know, as the long lost son of the Longbottoms. However, I'm not to keen on revealing myself, so I'm working on Dad to let me go in as myself, but with a different name. Hmmm….What about David Riddle? I've always liked that name….Anyway, of topic, I hope that your brains haven't been splattered out by Quidditch, and that you don't have any brain damage. Otherwise it could affect your eyes, and then you wouldn't be able to see my devilish handsomeness. HA! I'm so funny, good one Nev-

Harry,

Practice PRACTICE PRACTICE! Don't let your school get in the way of your Dark Arts. Ok, got to go because I'm running around the room with Neville hexing me for taking the paper away from him and the Dark Lord watching amused from the OWWWW…...Good one Nev!

Fenrir Greyback

P.S- How is Prince Albus dealing with his...erm furry problem?

Don't forget to brush your teeth Hadrian Riddle! Or eat!

-Bella

I'll see you on the train Harry, but I couldn't' resist taking the paper away from bella- you should see her face it's like a red stop sign! She wanted to nag you some more about brushing your teeth and paying attention to classes, but I think that she's going soft and - ow she just hexed me with a ahhhhfhea!

-Draco Malfoy heir to the malfoys prince pompous and weird- STOP IT NEVILLE! Anyway, see you on the train Harry.

Harry grinned at his friends antics. Despite the popular belief that all Death Eaters were cruciod regularly, Lord Voldemort was actually quite forgiving towards his Inner circle members.

Harry stored the information in his brain, and tucked the piece of paper in his moleskin pouch, a small gift from Theo who wanted to give him a "leaving" present.

Harry snuggled back down to sleep, and sleepily gazed through the window yawning.

Everything was fine.

Until someone threw his door open so wide that all the glass shattered.

**So that's all for now! Sorry it took so long to update; This chapter had a lot of information in it! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**-Threstrals101**


	9. Friends and Foes

Chapter 9: Friends and Foes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. **

**Ok, so I just wanted to say thank you for the people who reviewed (You know who you are) and to those who are keeping up with the story. However, a few more reviews would…..be helpful. Because I have a question for you all that I just can't decide on. **

**Should Lily's kid be a boy or a girl? **

**On one hand I want it to be a girl because then Rosie will have a sister to keep her company, and on the other hand I want it to be a boy because then Harry has another brother that he can play Quidditch with and in turn the boy regards Harry as his sort of role-model. But….I'm not to sure. So, what you guys would have to say would really help! Thanks- Enjoy the chapter! **

"BAM!" The door glass in Harry's compartment shattered, and Harry whipped out his wand to face a red-faced Draco Malfoy.

Draco was breathing heavily, his blond hair uncharacteristically out of place, falling into his blue eyes. He marched over to Harry and looked him in the eye, only a few inches shorter than Harry.

"You…..are….engaged…..to…..THE MUDBLOOD KNOW IT ALL?" Draco shrieked.

Harry calmly took out his wand, cast a silencio on the compartment, and then, just as calmly, punched Draco in the face and sat down again. Harry relished the feel of magic coming out of his wand, and to feel it again, he cast a reparo on the shattered door.

"First of all, don't use that word around me. Second, she will be your superior soon. Third, yes, I am engaged. Fourthly, my father doesn't care. Fifth, how did you find out?"

Draco slumped down onto the seats of the compartments, clutching his broken nose. "Neville thought it would be funny for me to find out by owl. We knew that the owl might be intercepted, you know the owl that you just got with the letter, so we arranged to send it to you on the train. At the same time, Neville sent me a letter saying that he "forgot" to tell me that you were engaged, to Hermione Granger. Please, pleeeaaaaasseee tell me he's just being Neville. Please." Draco got down on his hands and knees, his eyes wild.

Harry fought back a laugh at Draco's dramatic display. "Draco, did you know that my father is a half-blood?"

Draco reeled back in shock. "Wha-what?"

Harry guaffed. "Don't look so surprised. His father was a filthy muggle, but his mother was a pureblood, a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Everyone in the Inner circle knows it. I thought I should tell you because you are my best friend after all."

Draco scowled. "Does my father know?"

Harry rolled his eyes. The "purebloods are the best" front that Draco always had was just a cover, because Draco was afraid of not fitting in with his father's ideals.

"Yes you git, of course he knows. My father is ashamed of his muggle heritage. However, he is the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin. And you know that he doesn't mind Muggle Borns because they strengthen the wizarding community as a whole. He just wants the muggles to know their place."

Harry as a child had been taught carefully about how Muggles were a danger to the world, and how because of them thousands of witches had died centuries ago (burning at the stake), and that the wizarding population had to hide. Harry had been appalled.

"So, don't get all sensitive about my fiancee. We have known each other for years-yes, that is who I would see when I would sneak off every Tuesday and Saturday, and we have fallen in love. I don't care that you hate her; One day she will be your superior, your Dark Lady. Ok? Deal with it Drake."

Draco waved his hand, still clutching his nose. "Ok ok. Dark Lady-wait what? Hermione Granger….DARK? Oh boy!" He chuckled.

Harry grinned in spite of himself. Yes, Hermione was probably one of the least likely candidates to go dark, and yet here she was, the fiancee to the heir of the darkest lord since Salazar Slytherin himself. It was rather amusing.

"Well, she doesn't want to fight for her side; After all her parents ARE muggles, however she does know that we will protect them if needed. She wants to see what our plans are first- don't worry she wouldn't betray us" Harry said, noticing Draco's worried face. "And besides, I think that her parents do come from a long line of squibs, the same as the Evans family, on my side. Did you know that the majority of Muggle Borns just originate from squibs? There was a huge squib epidemic in the 1200's, due to too much inbreeding, so out of every 7 families there was only around 1 person who had a magical-"

"Ok Harry, no history lesson, I get it muggle borns originate from squibs, blah blah blah. Oh boy, you are going to loooovvvee Binns." Draco muttered.

Harry was a bit of a history nut, and he took every opportunity to lecture Neville and Draco. "Well anyway, if my theory proves true, then the Grangers will be protected by rule 149, which clearly states that anyone with magical heritage, squib or muggle born, has the same rights as any witch or wizard. Squibs, however, cannot apply for certain jobs that require magic. Eh voila! And Drake, before you start on how _pure _your line is, I just want to...well remind you that your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, ok, well 17th Grandfather was a muggle. How about that, huh?" Harry teased.

Draco's horrified face was worth Harry's effort in trying to find a muggle or muggle born in the Malfoy line.

"B..b..but Dad always said that the Malfoys were extremely..pure!" Draco wailed, his face contorted with disgust.

Harry couldn't resist. "And your Grandmother was a muggle born-betcha didn't know Grammy wasn't a pure-blood huh, and your Great-great-great-great grandmother on your mother's side was also a muggle born." Harry said smugly.

Draco looked pale. "G..gg...Grammy's a muggle born?"

Harry cackled madly. "Yup. She and Grandad lied about her heritage to his parents so that they could get married. Your father knows by the way. So, technically, he's a…."

"Half-blood!" Draco shrieked. "MY DAD'S NOT A PURE-BLOOD! WHAT! THAT MEANS THAT I'M ALSO A BLOODY HALF-BLOOD! NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Draco lay down on the seat, breathing heavily, eyes closed.

Harry was laughing so hard by this stage that he was on the ground, pounding with his fist as he laughed, tears streaming down his face. Draco was wailing now, and Harry caught his breath, straightened up, only to double over and start laughing again.

Suddenly Draco bolted upright. "Wait...wait a second. Grammy could have descended from squibs, right? So that would mean, if she is from a direct line of squibs, that I would be a pureblood." He said, his face brightening.

Harry cackled, his eyes glinting madly. Draco gulped. Uh oh.

"Oh no Drakey dear. I looked it up. No, no your Grammy gets her magic from….NOWHERE! She isn't descended from a squib family, oh no. She is one of the many muggle borns who was given the gift of magic! HAHAHAHAH!" Harry cackled madly.

Draco went pale. "I can't believe it. I...I'm a half-blood. All those years of torturing muggle borns and half-bloods, believing I was superior….This must never go ANYWHERE Harry." Draco said deadly serious. "Does..does the Dark Lord know?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. He's not too bothered. Uncle Lucius is still one of his favorites." To Harry, Draco's family was his family. Draco's grandmother was

Draco leaned against the seat, his cheeks regaining some color. "Ok, well….this isn't to bad, right? I mean, " He laughed nervously. "You're going to be a good friend and not use this information against me...right?" He squeaked.

Harry smiled evilly. "Oh no Draco. This is perfect blackmail material."

Draco wiped his brow. "I should have known." He muttered sullenly.

Harry clapped Draco on the back, chuckling. "Cheer up, Draco ol' boy. C'mon, let's have some fun before I get sorted into Gryffindor."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I heard your bullshit plan to get yourself into Gryffindor. Give up, Harry. You are WAY to slytherin to go anywhere else."

Harry smiled. "I don't know. I'm almost tempted to let the sorting hat decide for itself then asking and ordering it too. Hmmm….maybe I should just let it sort me. I don't know, it was my childhood dream to get sorted when I was younger."

"I tell you what, Harry. Let's make a bet." Draco said, his eyes sparkling. Harry could never resist a bet if it was Draco. They loved to prove each other wrong.

Harry groaned. "Noooo Draco, you know I can't resist bets with you!" He whined.

Draco cleared his throat. "So. You let the sorting hat sort you fairly. I will put a charm on you that will hold you to your word. You end up in Gryffindor, you can still use me being a half-blood as blackmail material. You get into Slytherin, then you drop it, and we'll pretend that I am actually a pureblood. Ok?"

Harry fidgeted, opening and closing his mouth. Finally, he blurted "Fine."

Draco smiled. "Excellent. This is perfect!"

Harry glared at him. He was about to lose perfect blackmail material! Why did he agree to the bet again?

The next hour was spent in companionable silence, with Draco reading a muggle thriller book, (Harry grinned evilly when he saw this; Draco had forgotten to put up the glamour on the book that made it look like Quidditch through the ages) and with Harry transfiguring and charming things around him, just to use his wand. Soon the compartment was the size of the great hall, had 3 water slides and a pool, a jacuzzi, 5 reading areas (one of which Draco had moved to without noticing the change of compartment), 1 hugh mungus trampoline that stretched out across half of the compartment, and a huge buffet that Harry had ordered from take-away owl service. Harry had added a small owlery in the corner of the compartment for all the owls who had brought the take-away. Harry grinned, and relaxed into the jacuzzi. Ahhhh. Some people never realised what magic could REALLY do.

Harry was about to fall asleep, when he heard a scream echo across the now huge compartment. He looked, and saw Hermione standing at the entrance.

Harry grinned, got out of the jacuzzi, and made his way over to Hermione.

"Oh my." Hermione repeated over and over. "Oh my. Aren't….aren't you tired at all? Transfiguration at this level...is exhausting!" She said, her eyes wide.

Harry grinned down at her. "Nope. My magic had been blocked for such a long time, that I can now do tons of transfiguration without getting tired. In fact, I have learnt to store my magic as well. And, I was starving." Harry shrugged and gestured towards the huge buffet table. "Care for anything, lov-" Harry cut off abruptly at Hermiones frantic shaking of her head. She gestured with her eyes behind her, and Harry scowled at seeing Albus gazing suspiciously at him.

Albus sidled into the compartment, and gasped. "Er….Yikes." He said, trying to act nonchalant.

Harry frowned at Albus, and how close he was standing next to Hermione. She looked nervous, and was desperately trying to get away from him, but the wall next to her made it impossible for her to subtly move away from him.

Albus turned his eyes on Draco, who was still reading his book. Albus sneered at Harry. "Friends with a snake Harry? We Potters don't associate with them." Harry gazed incredulously at him.

"You've got to be kidding me. My name isn't POTTER, it's Riddle. Please remember that. Draco's been my best friend since I was 12. The RIDDLE'S associate with the Malfoys…. Albus."

Albus choked. "Don't say that in front of Hermione. To everyone you're Harry POTTER, ok?" He whispered.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ohhh, let's pretend that nobody knows who I am. Hermione….ohhh, Hermione is it?" He said smoothly, a mischievous glint entering his eyes.

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. She knew that look in his eyes. "Yes." She said warily.

"Ahhh, the love of my brother's life. The girl who always refuses him, and makes him even more determined to go out with her. The girl he plans on walking _dark corridors_ with, and checking _broom cupboards_." Harry said, choking back unmanly giggles.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Walking dark corridors? Broom cupboards? What's that supposed to mean Albus?" She said sharply.

Albus cowered under her glare, and then realised that he was about a foot taller than her. "I...my brother has interpreted it in the wrong way. Please ignore him." He said, glaring at Harry, who was muffling his laughter.

Hermione turned her attention back to Harry, glaring at him with her 'We'll talk about this later' look. Harry gulped, his laughter stopping immediately.

Albus noticed something going on between the two, so he put his arm around Hermione's shoulders and steered her away from Harry. She shrugged his hand off and called "Oi, Riddle, get into your school robes. We'll be there in half an hour. And please, get rid of this….mess."

Harry grimaced. "My fine artwork? Nooo!" He whined playfully. Hermione rolled her eyes, and she and Albus left the compartment.

"Oi, Draco, have you even noticed what I've done?"

Draco murmured something, and absentmindedly lifted his head out of his book, and jumped back in surprise when he actually saw his surroundings. "Wha-Huh? Harry!" He said, utterly confused. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Come here Draco. You missed all the fun. Enlarging charms, transfiguration...oh bother what are we going to do with all this food?" Harry muttered.

Draco's eyes brightened. "Let me have some!" He said, and made his way towards the buffet table, bouncing along the trampoline as he went. Harry rolled his eyes yet again, and just as Draco reached for a slice of cake, he waved his wand, and the compartment was back to normal, the food in a box (with an enlargement charm on the inside and an anti-rotting charm) and Draco sitting back on the train seat. Draco pouted and reached for the box, only to have his hands swatted away.

"No, this is for my house-mates later on tonight." Harry said, grinning evilly. Draco would now be torn between extra food, and winning the bet. Draco glared at Harry.

"Haaarrryyyyy, you know that Quick-Cauldron is my favorite fast owl restaurant!" He whined.

"To bad. Hey, I just thought about this; What if I get into another house? What about our bet then?" Harry smirked.

Draco looked disgruntled, and then answered smugly, "Ha, you won't. You are heir to both Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor, but you act more Slytherin."

"Well, I've always thought that Hufflepuff might suit me…." Harry mused.

"WHAT!? No! The Puff's are weaklings! Besides, loyalty is a Hufflepuff trait. You aren't loyal to your family, the Potters." Draco said, looking bewildered.

Harry glowered at him. "I AM loyal to my family, you dimwit. Neville and Dad. Anyway, you should be talking. Grandad, the great Abraxus Malfoy was in Hufflepuff."

Draco nearly fainted. "**Where** do you get this information! Dad never told me !" He howled.

Harry smirked. "Ha. Now I can use this against you instead."

Draco just face-palmed himself.

* * *

Harry gaped up at the castle, in his boat. His father had said that no matter how hard he would try, Hogwarts would awe him. Harry was alone in a boat, as all the first-years were together, trembling at the sight of him. Harry had wanted to go with Draco in one of the carriages, but the half-giant oaf had shoved him into a boat before he could protest. Harry had just sighed, and wrapped his cloak around him tighter, shivering. Despite the fact that it was September, the water gave of a certain chill.

He was then marched up into the castle, and it was there he met Minerva McGonagall.

"Ahhhh...Mr. Potter. You are a special case. You will be the last one called, after all the first-years are sorted." McGonagall said, glancing warily at Harry who was edging away from the first-years.

Harry sneered. McGonagall had gone to school along with his father, Tom Riddle, as he was known then, and had greatly annoyed him. Harry was determined to get back at her.

"Ok. Fine. I have no doubt I'll be sorted into Slytherin." He lazily told the first years, watching McGonagall's face grow red.

"A Potter in Slytherin? Unheard!" She finally blurted.

Harry smirked. "I hate to remind you, but I am a _Riddle._" He said, enunciating it.

McGonagall went slightly pale, and then her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Come with me first years." She said, and turned around abruptly.

Harry smirked, glad at having pissed McGonagall off. He followed them into the Great Hall, smiling smugly as everyone stared at him.

Soon, the sorting started. Harry could see Dumbledore looking at him, and Harry stared right back. After a minute or so, Dumbledore lowered his eyes down, but not before a small smile curved his lips. Harry huffed, and instead looked at Draco. He caught Draco's eye and smirked, mouthing "You are going down"

When "Zabini Lola" had been sorted into Hufflepuff (A surprising sorting; almost everyone thought she would be in Slytherin, as her family had been for centuries), the last name was announced.

"Potter, Harry"

Harry didn't budge, despite the fact that he was the only person still waiting to be sorted. McGonagall gritted her teeth, and tried again.

"Riddle, Hadrian" She said, exasperated.

Whispers broke throughout the hall as Harry climbed the steps. He caught Hermione's eye, and winked, sitting down on the stool. McGonagall plonked the hat on his head, and Harry heard a crackly voice next to his ear.

_Ahhhh, Mr. Potter...or Riddle as you like to be called. _The sorting hat sounded as if it was smirking. _Where to put you….to be honest, you would fit all houses, but I see you have a bet with a certain Draco Malfoy. Hmmm...Slytherin or Gryffindor….hmmm. Those two houses are your best , let me ask you Mr. Potter- yes I will refer to you by your given name- where do you think YOU belong? _

Harry rolled his eyes, and replied mentally. _Well Mr. Hat, I think that I belong in Slytherin. I can be cunning. _

The hat sounded amused. _And pray, why do you think that? _

Harry spluttered. Wasn't he a Slytherin? Wasn't he cunning? After all, he was pretty good at strategy, and his father usually had him plan the attacks.

_Thats what you probably think, Mr. Potter. _The Hat said smugly._But I can't get this image out of my mind...well hat I guess, you know when you went after Bellatrix who was about to be struck down...Hmm? And you got captured? You didn't think about the consequences at all. You, Mr. Potter, are a strange case. You didn't take anyone in the Potter house hostage. YOu could have easily threatened them, by taking your younger siblings. You could have bargained. But….you didn't. Chivalry, Mr. Potter is being gallant. You were gallant, very gallant. And chivalry is important for all Gryffindors, which most people seem to forget. A lot of Gryffindors don't have it! It is very rare, yes very rare that a young man like you would have chivalry. You would do well in Slytherin, very well. But, considering your situation, and where your heart lies, I better put you in- _**GRYFFINDOR! **

Harry stumbled off the stool, to silence. Everyone, of course knew that he was the "son" of Lord Voldemort. They all expected him to be in Slytherin, you know, the "dark" house. Harry chuckled about how ironic it was. However, he was born a Potter, and Potters were notorious for being Gryffindors, Harry mused.

Harry was also a bit confused. What did the hat mean by "Where your heart lies?" Hmm. Harry glanced at McGonagall who was smirking at him, one eyebrow raised. Harry decided to play the game, and smirked back, grinning evilly when McGonagall looked confused, and then slightly fearful. Harry was going to let her know that having a Riddle in Gryffindor wasn't such a fun thing.

Harry sat down next to Hermione, and gave her a cheeky grin, and then looked at Draco, giving him a smug look. Draco was even paler than he usually was.

Soon the feast had begun, after Dumbledore gave his speech. Harry sniffed disdainfully at the food. It was nothing compared to Riddle Manor. He glanced over at Ron, who had sat next to him after everyone had scooted away from him. On his other side, Hermione gave a small smile at Harry that no-one else could see. Harry grinned back at her, and Hermione gave a slight annoyed shake of the head. They were supposed to keep to the act! Harry just kept on grinning.

"So…." Ron started, unsure of how to start a conversation. "Soo….do you like Quidditch?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Really Ronald? That's the best idea you can come up with for a conversation?"

Ron gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry Mione" He said, his mouth full of food.

Harry chuckled. "It's alright. Anyway, I do enjoy Quidditch, although I had a small accident this summer."

Hermione turned red. "Small! Small! Hadri-" She shrieked before regaining control of herself.

Ron turned to Hermione, a bemused expression on his face. "Errr…..This is Hermione by the way. Hermione….maybe he did have a small accident! Jeez! Honestly... And...urm not to pry Harry, but why are you being so nice to a muggleborn?" Ron said, flushing a little.

Harry felt his temper rise, but pushed it down again. "Because the Dark Lord doesn't have anything against them either." He said cooly. "Also, my..._birth mother_…." He spat "Was a muggleborn."

Ron looked embarrassed. "Nah, mate, believe me, I have nothing against Muggleborns. Hermione's my best friend. Anyway, any good Quidditch teams? Planning on trying out?" He said, a bit uncertainly.

Harry grinned. "Ohhh yes. I will definitely be on the Quidditch team this year. I heard they will pick Quidditch captain after try-outs?" He said, nonchalantly.

Ron nodded. "Yup. I'm planning on going out for Keeper myself. Been practicing all year. Last year, Albus, who was temporary team captain, after Katie Bell injured herself from falling down the stairs, didn't think I was good enough and kicked me off the team. He picked a 2nd year to replace me. Gryffindor lost all the matches after that, and Katie yelled at him for about 2 hours. I reckon he only kicked me off the team because I wouldn't help him…"catch" Hermione." Ron said, his face grim. "Anyway, we patched things up over the summer, but you gotta watch him. Albus has definitely changed from the spoiled brat he used to be into a more...kinder person, but if he doesn't get his way, he'll make your life hell. Sometimes wonder if he should have been in Slytherin."

Harry grimaced. He should have known that Albus was still the same old Albus he knew.

Ron, Harry and Hermione engaged in conversation for the rest of dinner after that, talking about different things. Harry found himself quite liking Ron. He didn't seem to be bothered at all by the fact that Harry was a dark wizard. As they were walking up to the dorms, Harry asked the question.

"Er….Ron….and Hermione, aren't you all bothered by the fact that my father is...well dark?" Harry said, awkwardly.

Ron smirked. "Well, let's just say that we saw you with your two siblings. There's no way a dark wizard would ever be so...well forgiving as you. You obviously have something against your parents mate. Anyway, I bet you've been misled, because I certainly haven't. And besides, making a friend out of you can't be a bad thing. You never know. You seem pretty powerful, and having you my friend...will be useful" Ron finished, smirking rather deviously.

Hermione nodded, keeping up the act. "Yes, I agree with Ron. Besides, we don't really know the Dark Lord's true intentions." She said, with a sidelong glance at Harry.

Harry was stunned. Ron should have been in Slytherin, Harry thought.

Harry grinned at the both of them. "Well, I like the way your minds work, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. I think we'll get along just fine."

They continued walking. Suddenly, a large arm slung around Hermione and pulled her away from the rest of the group, Hermione protesting.

It was Albus.

"Hey, Granger, don't hang out with my brother. He's dark, you know." Albus said, sneering at Harry.

Hermione huffed. "For the last time Potter, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. BUG OFF! I like Harry just fine. Please, leave me alone!" Hermione said, exasperated.

Harry felt like laughing.

Albus gave a dark look at Harry. "Don't steal my girl." He muttered so only he and Harry could hear.

Harry just glowered at Albus. Steal HIS girl?

"Come on Ron. You don't want to hang out with Riddle." Albus said, expecting Ron to follow him.

To Harry's surprise, Ron stayed put. "No, Albus. I do want to hang out with Harry."

Albus looked shocked, but quickly regained his cool. "Fine! But you might want to kiss that Keeper position goodbye." He said slyly. He smirked at Harry and Ron.

Harry heard blood rushing to his ears. Albus hadn't changed one bit.

What Hermione, Ron and Albus witnessed next was terrifying, and showed just how much power Harry possesed.

Harry's eyes darkened, and there was an unnatural wind rushing through the corridors. It whipped through his dark locks, and his face became cruel and angry.

"Don't threaten Ron, Albus, or you might find yourself in the hospital wing. Bullies never change, do they?" Harry said softly, his voice enriched with raw power.

Albus shivered. He then glared at Ron. "Traitor! You're a disgrace to your family!"

Harry was by Albus's side in one second. He leaned over Albus, as Harry was a foot taller, and much more lean, and growled, "No. YOU are the traitor."

Albus shivered. He knew exactly why Harry was calling him a traitor.

_Flashback: _

_Today was Harry and Albus's 6th birthday party. Albus had become increasingly spoiled, but the twin bond between Harry and Albus was so strong, that Albus still treated Harry well. However, James and Lily wouldn't hesitate to persecute Harry if something Albus related was involved, and Albus knew this. _

_Harry gazed morosely at the big cake that sat on the dining room table. It was a huge dragon shaped cake, that said "Happy Birthday to the savior of Britain, Albus!" And, then off to the corner, "And Harry" in small letters, as if it was an afterthought. But Harry knew that it was an afterthought. _

_Soon the guests started arriving, all Albus's friends and admirers. Harry had timidly asked if Neville Longbottom could come, but his mother had just sneered and said, "Albie comes first." Harry had dejectedly shuffled to his room after that, and Albus had come by his room and asked what was wrong, and then comforted him. Harry smiled at that one thought. He had a good brother who cared about him. Albus, had on the whole always been there for him. _

_Harry hid in the small alcove in the corridor of the main hall. He watched for his friend, but instead was greeted with the sights of Ron-Weaby? Was that it? He had never really talked to any of Albus's friends. _

_Harry's face brightened when his Uncle Remus came through the doorway. Remus was barely there, but when he did come, he would always bring a present for Harry, as well as Albus. _

_Harry bounced up to Remus who was being greeted by James and Lily. "Uncle Moony!" Harry squealed and hugged Remus. Remus picked up Harry and spun him in the air. "How's my honorary nephew today?" He said, and Harry giggled._

_James scowled. "Um, Remus, that's Harry not Albus." _

_Remus almost choked. "I'm..I'm sorry?" _

_James rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be saying hello to Albus, saviour of Britain?" _

_Remus frowned."I believe that both my nephews deserve the same amount of attention, James." _

"_Whatever." James said annoyed, and walked off. _

_Remus smiled gently at the small child by his feet. Harry always had this calming feeling about him. _

_Remus crouched by Harry and handed him a small wrapped package. "Here you go Harry. Happy birthday." _

_Harry eagerly tore open the package, and gasped. There sat a small, breathing dragon, that was made out of clay. It was a model dragon, that was very much alive. They were extremely rare. _

"_Oh! Thank you so much Uncle Moony!" Harry hugged his uncle again. _

_Remus smiled. "This clay dragon is very special. Soon, when it gets a feel for you, it will turn into the type of dragon your soul is, basically basing itself on how you act and feel. It's very rare. Albus is going to get one as well, and since you are twins, I expect that your dragons will be quite similar." _

_Harry grinned. What an amazing present! And he and Albus would have the same one! _

_Harry ran to Albus, waving his clay dragon. "Albie, Albie! Come see what Uncle Remus got us!" _

_Albus turned annoyed away from his friends. "Harry, I'm busy! " _

_Harry rolled his eyes at Albus. "Fine, miss out on a great present then!" He said, tauntingly, waving the clay dragon underneath Albus's nose. _

_One of Albus's friends called out to Harry. "Hey, you what are you doing? You can't speak like that to the Boy-Who-Lived!"_

_Harry stepped back. They didn't know who he was? "I'm..I'm Albie's brother...I'm his twin!" He said, shyly. _

_The older kid who was about 11 scoffed. "Yeah, right. We all know that the boy-who-lived doesn't have a brother, much less a twin. Move it, kid. What a loser." The boy said to his friend. _

_Albus gazed at the two older boys in front of him, obviously in awe of the two. _

_Harry shifted his gaze towards Albus. "Albie?" He called, his voice trembling, "Albie? Tell them that I'm your brother!" _

_Albus glanced uneasily at Harry._

_The boys snorted and pushed Harry down onto the ground. "Albie? Albie?" They mocked._

_Harry started to cry. It was his birthday, and these two older boys were being mean to him. _

"_Albie!" Harry cried, upset that his brother wasn't helping him. _

_Albus shifted, guiltily. On the one hand, his twin bond was calling out for him to stick up for Harry. On the other hand, everyone seemed to be against Harry! His mother, his father, his friends. Harry WAS a loser. And Albus was the boy who lived. _

_The two 11 year olds looked at Albus. "Albus? You gonna say anything?" _

_Harry cried even harder, his eye swelling from where one of the boy's shoes had hit him. _

_Albus gazed at Harry, at a lost. His twin bond started to strain. _

_Harry clutched his clay dragon to his chest, curling up in a ball. _

_One of the 11 year olds sighed, over dramatically. "Well, I guess the destroyer of You-Know-Who doesn't have the guts to put an eensy git in his place, then." _

_Albus's head snapped up. "Nnno, he isn't my brother!" He said, quickly, without thinking. _

_A fresh tear rolled down Harry's cheek. "Al-Albus?" He called out weakly, not understanding what his brother was saying. _

_One of the older boys clapped Albus on the shoulder. "There you go!" _

_Albus, enlightened by the success, pushed Harry back on to the ground. _

_The twin bond was stretching to a breaking point. _

_One of the boys turned maliciously towards Harry. "See, huh twerp? Loser, Loser, Loser!" The boys chanted, and soon Albus joined in as they circled Harry, delivering the occasional kick. _

_Albus snatched the clay dragon from Harry. "A loser doesn't deserve to have such an awesome toy!" _

_On of the boys who had been watching shifted uneasily. "Hey, hey guys, maybe you should stop now. You've proven your point." _

_The 11 year olds looked at him scornfully. "Oh, just shut up." _

_Albus sneered at Harry, and the twin bond broke with his final words. "I don't have a brother, twerp." _

_The twin bond snapped._

_Albus staggered, clutching his heart, while Harry howled with the pain of being betrayed by his twin, and the twin bond snapping. _

_The meaner of two boys snarled at Harry."What did you do?" _

_Albus breathed in and out, trying to escape the feeling of guilt. He lifted the clay dragon high up in the air, and smirked at Harry, whose eyes widened and reached out in a final attempt to save the dragon, his only gift for the day. _

_Albus let go of the dragon, and it fell onto the ground, and shattered. _

_Just before it shattered, it flashed and turned into a Sorrow dragon, a rare and powerful dragon. However, when a person saw a Sorrow dragon, they plunged into despair for the rest of their lives. _

_Harry gazed up at his 'brother', his face full of anger and hurt. "You...you TRAITOR!" He cried. _

* * *

_End Flashback. _

Albus drew back from Harry abruptly. "I...I was young." Albus said defensively.

Harry sneered. "You broke the twin bond. You should have known."

Albus seemed to deflate. "Please don't remind me. I still remember the horrified looks my friends gave me when they found out that you really were my brother."

Harry snarled. "Is that all you care about? Your reputation?" Harry turned away, so Albus couldn't see the small bit of hurt in his eyes.

"Come on Harry. Don't waste anymore time with this git." Hermione spoke up, turning towards Harry and pulled him away from Albus.

Albus's face shifted from guilty to jealousy in a milli-second. "Hey, Granger, we….er...have to sort out patrols...don't we?" He said, trying to get Hermione away from Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We sorted them out on the train, remember? You're patrolling tonight, first floor, I'm patrolling second floor, and so on! Got it?"

Albus scratched his head. "But aren't you supposed to be my partner? Head Girl and all?"

Hermione turned back towards Albus."Lavendar Brown offered to patrol, and I took it, even though she's not a prefect. I think she wanted to spend some….quality time with her ex-boyfriend." Hermione smirked.

Albus turned pale."You didn't," He whispered. "She's going to sqeal my ears of with her incessant giggling!"

Hermione linked arms with Harry, before hastily letting go. "Er...she's waiting in the main hall. Bye!" She raced off, her face red at nearly being caught.

Harry was looking at Ron, who was oblivious to the whole arm thing. However, Albus was glaring at Harry.

"Bye Albus." Ron said, reluctantly.

"Bye." Albus grumbled, and started towards the Great Hall.

Hermione sighed, and looked at her watch. "Well, I'm glad that's over. What a git. Anyway, as I told Albus, I gotta head up and patrol. I'll see you in a bit." Hermione started off in the other direction, and Ron and Harry kept on walking.

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. "So...how did you and Hermione become friends?"

Ron grinned. "Well, it was kind of my...fault in a way. Hermione was really lonely for the first month or so, and me being an oblivious git hung out with the rest of the guys. That was when I was real good friends with Albus. Our favorite pastime was insulting her...slightly know-it-all tendencies. One day I stepped completely out of line-insulting her when she helped me with a spell. Turned out she heard me. Anyway, that night was Halloween, and' she didn't turn up. Then Professor Quirrell came running in, shouting about a troll-do you know the story of Professor Quirrell? He was an unmarked Death Eater, or well, he had a Dark Mark on his….wait a minute you probably know all this!" Ron said, indignantly.

Harry waved his hand. "Quirrel was a minor, weak servant of my fathers. My father just wanted to get the stone to experiment. He never meant to hurt anyone."

Ron winced. "Look, mate how about we don't refer to...You-Know-Who at all? I've been raised all my life to think he's bad...and you seem like a decent guy. This is a huge step for me. All the boys are going to shun you….you know that right?" Harry nodded. Ron continued. "Anyway, when I heard that, I ran, just ran for it. Fred and George had shown me a short cut to the dormitories, and so I decided to take that shortcut, along with Albus. On the way, we passed the girls bathroom, and I heard sobbing. It was Hermione. I told Albus we had to rescue her, but he panicked when he saw the troll rounding the other corner. He ran off, into an alcove, hiding, but I went in after Hermione. I was about to tell her, when the troll entered, and swung at us. The next few moments were a bit of a blur, but I do remember casting the spell Hermione had helped me with earlier on, _Wingardium Leviosa. _We managed to defeat the troll, but I broke my leg and nose in the process. Anyway, then the teachers arrived, and consulted us. Albus, who came out of the alcove, tried to take...tried to take credit." Ron spat. "Luckily the teachers had arrived before he came in, and when Hermione and I firmly denied that he had helped in anyway, he stomped off. Even lost five points for lying, from McGonagall herself! Hermione then stuck up for me, saying that she had wanted to chase after the troll. We got 10 points each, plus another five taken off from Hermione. Quite a good haul, if I do say so myself! After that, Hermione and I become really good friends, and I drifted away from the group I used to hang out with. Though, in second year, Dean came and joined us, and we all became quite good friends. Still are."

Harry shook his head. "I can't believe that Albus tried to get credit for defeating a troll! By the way, great job-fully grown mountain trolls kill people every year." Harry mock clapped Ron, who chuckled and bowed.

They arrived at a portrait of a rather portly lady, who turned her head slowly, and said, "Password?"

Ron cursed. "Where is Hermione when you need her? She told me the password but I can't remem-"

"A new year, and new era" Harry said, glancing sideways at Ron, who looked a bit put out.

"Correct." The portrait said, and swung open to reveal a room full of red. Rather cosy looking, as it had lots and lots of arm chairs, sofas and cushy chairs to sit on, squished together in a rather tight space. People lounged around, reading magazines and gossiping. There was music playing, and the fire crackled, as people talked and laughed. However, as soon as Harry entered the room, all that could be heard was the small crackle and pop of the fire.

Harry smirked, and sat down on the sofa, right in front of the fire, which was, surprisingly, completely empty. Ron nervously sat down.

"Er..Harry hate to rain on your parade, but this is...well as everyone has dubbed them...the "Golden Trio's" spot. Albus, Seamus, and Lavender. They sit here." He hissed.

Harry turned his disbelieving eyes on Ron. "What is this Ron? A muggle high-school? Mean girls?"

Ron turned pink. "Er...you've watched Mean Girls? Ginny watches it all the time with her friends"

Harry went a bit red as well. "Lu- I mean a...friend of mine...a girl made me watch it one Christmas. Don't ask why…." Harry said.

"I won't" Ron said dryly.

Harry turned to the dumbstruck people in the common room. "From now on, this sofa is….freed from the bottoms of the 'Golden Trio'." He said, chuckling as a few giggles broke out, which were quickly hushed.

Harry carried on talking to Ron, until he couldn't bear it any longer.

"Oh, for goodness sakes, I'm not going to murder you all in your sleep! Just carry on!" Harry finally said, breaking the silence. He then sighed. "I'm going up to bed."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, me too. You know where the dorms are?"

Harry found his bed, in the corner of the room, right next to a window. Ron was right next to him.

Harry readied himself for bed, and wrote a few letters home. He then whistled out of the window, and Hedwig who he had trained, flew down from the owlery. He then sent the letters off. As he turned off his small bedside lamp, a huge hand flew down and grabbed him out of the bed and threw him down on the floor.

Seamus Finnigan, a burly Irish boy who had played Quidditch with Harry, was glowering at him, his normally jovial face filled with hate. He reached down and grabbed Harry's hair. "Hello again, _Evan_" He sneered. "I just want to warn you. I don't know how...Death Eater scum got into this school, or how you got sorted into Gryffindor, but either way, you hurt me, Lavender or Albus, or for that matter anyone, I swear I will kill you. Oh, and stay away from Hermione." Seamus smirked, thinking he had won.

Harry sighed dramatically. He then calmly shot Seamus with a wandless and silent body-bind spell, and levitated Seamus into the bed, not caring that he bumped his head on the bed.

Harry leaned over Seamus. "I'll have you know that I am not violent unless threatened. So, Finnigan, stay away from me."

Harry wiped his hands, and unfreeze Seamus, while putting a mild silencio on him. He then rummaged around in his bag.

Harry flipped through the old pages of the diary. Riddle's diary. It was a horcrux, but Harry could communicate with his father through it.

_Got sorted into Gryffindor. _Harry wrote.

_**Oh, really? Hmph, that Granger girl is having a bad influence on you. **_His father wrote back, although Harry knew he was teasing.

_Oh, it's not a big deal. I can gain the others trust this way. _

_**Fine. Any threats? **_

_Oh yeah. But I just shut them up all right….._

_**That's my boy. Luna's missing you. She wants to talk to you-**_

_**HARRY! Tom said that I couldn't write a letter to contact you, so I'm using his diary. MISS YOU! Nothing new, besides the fact that Neville is working up the guts to ask me on a date. I read it in his diary! -Luna**_

_Miss you too, Lu. _Harry wrote smiling. Luna Lovegood had come to their household not long after Harry had arrived, and she had become like a small sister to him. She was part of their odd little family, and was thoroughly pampered by Bellatrix and Narcissa, who were delighted to have a little girl in the family. She and Neville had become close, and it was obvious that they were going to get together at some point.

_**Oh, by the way Harry, something important to tell you. Daphne's back from Beauxbatons. And, well….the offer still stands. Everyone rather you marry her. Even a pureblood would do. I hear that there is a Weasley girl just below you. Good revenge if you ask me. **_

Harry froze. Daphne Greengrass? The girl he had been engaged to at 16? She was back?

Harry gulped, and quickly wrote a goodbye in the book, and lay down to think. Before he really started to fall in love with Hermione, there had been Daphne Greengrass, one of his close friends. Harry had dated her for a while, but then Voldemort and the Greengrasses had arranged a marriage contract. Harry had grown angry at this, and Daphne had given him an ultimatum- her or nothing. Harry had chosen nothing. Then he had realised that he was in love with Hermione, and their relationship began. The last Harry had seen Daphne was during his birthday party (16th), where she had harshly told him that she never wanted to see him again. Harry had been heart-broken, as he had really thought that Daphne was...well his one-true love. Daphne had then left to Beauxbatons, and Harry hadn't seen her again. But..if the offer still stood that meant trouble for him and Hermione during winter break.

Harry tried to take his mind of things. He knew that his father wasn't exactly too keen on his future bride. Hell, he was even offering a Weasley girl as an option! Harry shook his head. No way. She was a giggling fan-girl, who had batted her eyelashes at him during dinner. A stupid, shallow girl.

Harry rubbed his temples, and closed his eyes. He had a feeling that his future wasn't so sure after all.

**END OF CHAPTER! **

**Sorry it took so long to update….hope you enjoyed and PLEASE COMMENT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! **

**-Threstrals101.**


	10. How Ron became a chaser&Albus a cheater

Chapter 10:

**Disclaimer: Ok, I keep on forgetting to do these, so let me say it, and THIS IS THE DISCLAIMER FOR THE REST OF THE FANFICTION THING. So yeah, here it goes. I do not own anything of Harry Potter. At all. None, Nada, Null. There we go. **

**Enjoy! **

When Harry woke up the next morning, he was greeted by Ron staring at him from the other bed.

Self conscious, Harry asked, "What?"

Ron chuckled. "Nothing mate, only you were saying something like, 'Don't hurt Mio', Mia, Min or something like that. Sounds like someone's got a girlfriend!" Ron teased.

Harry flushed. "Shut up. You probably imagined it, while wishing YOU had a girlfriend." He said teasingly "I don't remember anything.". However, Harry knew exactly what Ron was talking about. Harry had this rather terrifying dream the night before.

_Dream_

_Harry stood in the middle of a cracked ballroom floor, next to Hermione, with their wands out. It was dark, and even with their lumos maxima, the ballroom barely lit up. They were dressed in ripped formal clothing, and a large gash covered Harry's white shirt in blood. _

_Suddenly there was an odd humming sound, and people in blood red robes appeared from the dark, humming and chanting some odd type of….melody. Harry and Hermione were shooting of spells, but they all dissolved just before they reached the people. _

_Harry eventually gave up, and pulled Hermione into a crouch. "Wait. Don't move. And don't say a word." He whispered in her ear. Hermione nodded, a determined look on her face. _

_Harry peered closer at the people, and suddenly realised that their 'blood red robes' weren't just blood red. They were actually dripping with….blood. Harry felt sick. _

_Harry felt a ripple pass through him as the chanting suddenly stopped. Hermione's eyes widened and she gasped, falling into his arms._

_Harry forgetting his prior instructions yelped "Hermione!" He laid her gently on the floor beside him. Harry snarled and lunged at the people, only for a cold voice to say "Stop." _

_Harry froze. "Reveal yourself!" Harry shouted. "You don't scare me!" _

"_Well I will soon." The voice chuckled coldly. _

_The chanting paused again, and Harry gasped as Hermione screamed and convulsed. He rushed back over to her side and stroked her head, as she whimpered. _

_Harry looked at the people with angry eyes. "What are you doing to her!" He yelled. _

"_Why, Harry, we're only taking her very soul from her! You should know that! After all, you did do extensive research into this ritual." The voice said, chuckling in a way that sent shivers down Harry's spine. _

_Harry turned pale. "You're….you're doing the dementor ritual? No….anything…..I'LL DO ANYTHING!" Harry said, his voice cracking. _

"_Ahhh….well, then you know what you must do to save her Harry. After all, you brought this upon yourself." The voice snarled. _

_Harry bent over and kissed Hermione lightly on the forehead. "I'll find you." He whispered. Then, with a heavy heart, he muttered the dreaded words, his wand pointing at her head. _

"_O...Obliviate." _

_End Dream. _

Harry shivered. It had been a ghastly notion, that someone would even think of the Dementor ritual. It was even worse than the Dementors kiss. It sucked the very life and soul out of the person. And that wasn't the most horrifying part. Everyone who had ever known that person would remember them only in a bad way, their memories tainted forever as if a dementor had stood close by every time the saw that person. It was a horrifying way to make sure that the person was forgotten, forever.

Harry shook himself. He had had dreams about this type of thing before, losing Hermione, but never so….vivid. And the fact that the dream had ended with him getting rid of all of her memories of him was just….horrific.

As Harry walked down to the Great Hall, he felt a cold presence. Harry spun around, and there greeting him was the Bloody Baron.

"Oh!" Harry said, slightly relieved.

The Bloody Baron looked at him mournfully. "A dark future you have….." And swept away.

Harry frowned, and then saw Hermione walking down the corridor. He walked towards her quickly, with relief and pulled her into a nearby alcove that had a curtain in front of it.

He placed a quick kiss on Hermione's mouth, chuckling at her surprised face.

"How is my beautiful fiancee today?" Harry said lowly.

Hermione giggled, and quickly peeked out of the alcove to see if any one was there. "Harry!" She said blushing, "You know this is...well risky!"

Harry laughed, and kissed her hand. "Come, let me escort you into the Great Hall, my lady." He said, putting on an exaggerated posh English accent.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but never the less allowed Harry to 'escort' her into the Great Hall, where they were met with the furious gaze of Albus. Hermione dropped Harry's arm and walked over to where Ron sat.

"Did...Did I miss something here?" Ron said, bewildered.

Harry and Hermione shared a glance. "Nah. Of course not! I've only known Hermione for about 24 hours!" Harry said, winking.

Ron shook his head. "Well, it looks as if you guys have known each other forever. Just look and Albus's face! He looks ready to burst!"

It was true. Albus's face was getting redder and redder, until Harry couldn't bear it any longer and called out "Why the...red face Albie?" And started laughing as Albus squished the grape he was holding.

Harry ate quickly. Next to him, Hermione gasped, and pointed at the front page of the Daily Prophet she had just received.

"Wa ish it er-mi-o-ne?" Ron said, his mouth full of food.

_You-Know-Who's heir sorted into Gryffindor! _

_Last night, during the sorting at Hogwarts, Harry Potter, or Harry Riddle, was sorted into Gryffindor. Harry Potter ran away from his home at the age of 11, and became known around Britain as the "lost Potter twin". He was assumed dead after the authorities found a body that matched his. However, just a few months ago, You-Know-Who's heir, the Silver Mask, or the Dark Prince as he is referred to, was captured. And, who did it turn out to be? None other than Harry James Potter himself! When this was revealed to the public, there were outcries of anger and pity. Everyone has differing opinions on the Dark Prince's mysterious life. However, nobody doubted the fact that You-Know-Who's heir would be sorted into Slytherin, the house of the dark, the place where You-Know-Who originated from himself. Alas, to the shock of many people, the Dark Prince was sorted into Gryffindor, the place that has been nicknamed "the house of the light". This brings up many questions. Is Slytherin all that bad? After all, the man who betrayed the Potters that fateful night, Peter Pettigrew (found to be a spy three years ago) was best friends with James Potter and in Gryffindor. Also, is it truly safe for Harry Potter, the dark heir to be at Hogwarts? And finally, our last question, __**why**_ _did Harry Potter run away all those years ago? _

_Article by: Rita Skeeter. _

Harry choked on some orange juice he was drinking, and then started to chuckle. "She's right you know. It's true. Is it really safe for me to be at Hogwarts? Who says I won't let Death Eaters into the castle?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're too gallant for that."

Ron, who had been reading the article with a bemused expression on his face looked up. "Ok. I am definitely missing something here. I mean, Hermione, you barely know him and you're making these...assumptions!"

Hermione turned away. "No, I merely figured out the facts. Harry didn't attack anyone while staying at the Potter residence. He let them be. Harry can't attack innocent children."

Ron had a funny expression on his face. "How do you know he stayed at the Potters?"

Hermione went pale. Harry flushed, and they both looked down. Ron huffed, and dragged them up from their chairs, and hustled them out of the Great Hall. He then proceeded to walk them to a small corridor, and faced them expectantly.

"Well?"

Hermione mumbled something under her breath.

"I didn't hear that!" Ron said, tapping his foot.

"Alright. Harry's the one I've been sneaking out to meet all these years."

Ron stopped tapping his foot and faced Hermione with a shocked expression on his face. "I thought you had a secret boyfriend that you didn't want anyone to know about!"

Harry grumbled. "Who says I wasn't her boyfriend?"

Ron stumbled a bit, and gaped at the both of them. Harry smirked, and kissed Hermione on the cheek. Harry then proceeded to wave his wand around Hermione's finger, and the engagement ring appeared.

Ron leaned in and gasped. "Wow, pretty ring Hermione. Why did you hide it?"

Hermione face palmed, and Harry had to turn away to muffle his laughter.

"No, you dimwit! It's a bloody engagement ring!" Hermione said exasperated.

Ron looked surprised. "Well, who're you engaged to then?"

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After Harry and Hermione had explained their engagement to an oblivious Ron, they trooped off to class, an excited Ron hovering in between them. At first he had acted like an older brother to Hermione, warning Harry that if any harm came to Hermione, Ron would find Harry and hunt him down etc, etc, but after the facade dropped, Ron had excitedly asked when the wedding would be.

Soon classes were flying by, and it was October 30th. Halloween was tomorrow. Harry felt uneasy. With all these ominous signs happening, wouldn't Halloween be the perfect time for a bad prediction to come true?

Harry's favorite classes were no doubt DADA and Potions. Professor Snape had been a sort of Uncle to Harry, however Harry was rather cold towards him ever since he had found out Snape's true alliance. But Harry didn't want Snape killed, so he told Snape to stay away from future Death Eater meetings, because he would most likely be killed on the spot. It was true. Voldemort had been furious when Harry had told him that Snape was a traitor.

After the day's classes were over, Harry eagerly headed towards the head girl room to talk with Hermione. Sure, they could now talk more freely with Ron around, but Harry wanted to catch up with her...alone.

"Muggleborn forever." Harry said, rolling his eyes at Hermione's choice of password. The painting swung aside revealing the Head Girl quarters. It was a nice little place with a small kitchen, sitting room, bedroom complete with a bathroom and a little study outlooking the Quidditch pitch. It was in other words, the best dorm around. Each Head girl could make it the colors they wanted, and Hermione had chosen a nice olive green for the sitting room, and a pale lavender and grey theme for her bedroom. The study was a creme color with midnight blue highlights.

The only downer about it, in Harry's mind was that it connected to the Head Boy dorm, and therefore Albus had complete access to Hermione's room, except the bedroom. Due to the Head Boy and Girl working closer together during the year, one headmaster had eventually decided to let each Head Boy and Girl have complete access to the others room, unless one requested otherwise.

"Hermione?" He called, wondering where she was. "Mione?"

"Here!" called Hermione's voice, and Harry went into the study to find Hermione sitting in an armchair with piles of books around her.

"Studying? Well, what should I have expected?" Harry teased, as Hermione playfully swatted his shoulder.

"No, I just was at the library for a bit of light reading…"

"Light reading? These books are the size of my waist!"

"Yes, and then I stumbled across an old rule book of Hogwarts, hidden in the back of the library. Anyway, it says that all 7th years have access to the restricted section, as long as they don't take the book out of the library, and Head Girl and Head Boy can take any books out they want, as much as they want. So of course I took advantage of that and settled for a few books that looked good to read just for fun…"

Harry glanced at the dusty old tomes with titles like "How to enslave the most powerful minds" and "Most Evil Curses; A history" that were the thickness of Harry's smallest trunk back at home.

"For fun?"

"YES! Stop it I know you think I'm crazy but these books have some interesting information in it!"

"The book of most evil dark lords?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised. "I know you're trying to make an impact in the world, why not try out for Dark Lady? Never been one before, much less a muggleborn, and I'm sure you can put that temper of yours to use…."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, thanks but I just wanted to see if your father was in it. And he is. 2nd most scary dark lord in all of history. Edward the evil outstripps him by 1 point because he broiled all his enemies to death. Harry, are you sure that...well you're father is all what he says he is? Because the book says that he murdered over 200 muggles and muggle borns, by his hand. That's not counting his death eaters."

Harry huffed. "I assure you Hermione, he is nothing but pleased that we are getting married. And besides, nothing could change my mind about you. You are the most talented, beautiful witch I have ever known." Harry kissed Hermione lightly on the lips.

Hermione blushed. "Well, come on Harry. How about we get some house elves to deliver dinner here? I don't feel like putting up with Albus's glares during dinner at the moment. It was bad enough during lunch."

Albus had demanded why Hermione was sitting next to 'the loser of the Potter family." Hermione had coolly replied that Harry wasn't a Potter anymore, and that she only had to look as far as in front of her to see who the loser was. Albus had bombarded Harry with glares for the rest of the period.

Harry wrinkled his nose."Yeah. Sounds good."

Harry and Hermione had a very pleasant evening, catching up and having a nice dinner. They then both sat on the sofa, Hermione cuddling against Harry watching an old muggle movie on the small television Hermione had brought from her house.

Harry was about to fall asleep (Hermione already had and was drooling rather cutely on his shoulder) when suddenly a loud bang was heard and a voice shouted "Hey!" and then "Hermione! I'll save you!"

Albus rather comically dived onto the couch and wrestled Harry onto the ground, who smirked and then flipped him over. Hermione sat up rubbing her eyes, and looked at a struggling Albus beneath a smug Harry who paid no heed to his yelps of pain every time Harry dug his elbow into Albus's stomach.

"What is this?" Hermione asked sternly, and both boys cowered underneath her fierce gaze.

"I saw Pot-I mean Riddle practically taking advantage of you!" Albus shouted. "You should expect that of him, I mean he is the next dark lord in training!"

Harry glared at Albus. "You were drooling on my shoulder….again." Harry smirked.

Hermione glared at him. "I did no such thing!"

"Oh yes you did!"

"Fine. Ok, Albus, get out. Harry and I had a nice dinner up here until you burst in, waking me up. Get out Albus, and I think I may be requesting that you be barred from my rooms."

Albus flushed and limped to the door. " Soon you'll see Hermione. Soon you'll see."

Harry sighed and leaned against Hermione. "Sorry."

"Nah, it doesn't matter. That twit just needs to learn not to barge in on people." Hermione said, smiling.

Harry sighed, looking at her. "Oh, gosh! I forgot to tell you!"

Hermione busied herself cleaning up the mess Albus had made, as he had tripped over the coffee table. "What?"

Harry scratched the back of his head. "Er, well I don't know how to say this, but an old girlfriend of mine is coming back to Hogwarts tomorrow. She and I were really close, but then my father and her parents arranged a marriage contract which angered me. I didn't want my life to be controlled, and so I said that I wouldn't marry her, I wanted to decide that by myself. This was last year or so, before I started dating you. Then she gave me an ultimatum; Her or nothing. I thought that she would see things my way in a bit, so I chose nothing, not wanting to go through with the contract. Anyway, I tried to make her see sense. Finally she agreed that she would wait. But, then she announced that we were getting married at the summer ball that the wedding would be soon. I was so angry, I could barely stand it. I then told the people the truth, which effectively shamed her family, as they didn't know she was lying. Daphne then told me she never wanted to see me again, and was sent to Beauxbatons for a year as punishment. So, just expect a bit of awkwardness, ok? She's no doubt going to hate me for being engaged to you, and going to try and embarrass me at every opportunity."

Hermione looked mildly worried. "Daphne..Greengrass?"

"That's right."

Hermione snuggled closer to Harry. "Don't you wander off, nearly husband of mine."

Harry smiled and dropped a kiss on her head. "Wouldn't dream of it for the entire world."

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As Harry wandered down from the Head Girl dorm the next morning, he received a lot of stares. Harry grinned. They were no doubt wondering if what had happened the night before. Nothing, but Harry didn't mind a few rumors.

Harry quickly showered and dressed, and then headed down to breakfast. October 31st. The day Daphne Greengrass would arrive again. Harry sighed. He was not looking forward to that reunion.

Harry kissed Hermione in front of the Great Hall, a lot of people staring and pointing. "I think we can tell everyone now." He stage whispered.

Hermione nodded, keeping up with their 'act'. They decided to tell everyone that they were together, but that they would keep their differences aside. Hermione would tell everyone that she was trying to convert Harry to light, as Dumbledore had told her that love was the strongest power, and Harry would tell everyone that he was trying to convert her to dark. It would be fun for them, seeing everyone fall for it.

A girl, around 16 years old approached them. She stuck out her hand for Harry to shake. "Romilda Vane, 6th year. I have a question to ask...Are you two going out?" She asked, jealousy in her eyes.

Harry grinned. "Yup!"

Romilda goggled at Harry and then sputtered, "But...But she's Hermione Granger! She's a muggle born!"

Harry's demeanor grew cold. "I am very well aware of that, Ms. Vane."

Romilda Vane threw a dirty look at Hermione. "Well, once you grow tired of her, just letting you know there are much more...worthy girls out there." She said, flipping her hair.

Harry snorted and walked away, not bothering to react. He and Hermione made their way into the Great Hall, where they sat down next to a grinning Ron.

"So, the two lovebirds have finally arrived, huh?" Ron teased.

Harry and Ron had become really close in the past month. Harry had been surprised at how well they got on.

Harry heard the Great doors open, and stomping. Albus had arrived. He growled at the sight of Harry and Hermione together, and then sat down opposite to Ron, glowering at Harry.

"So, Ron, Quidditch trials are soon. Just letting you know, Cormac McLaggen is trying out for keeper this year. I don't think you have much of a chance." Albus sneered, watching Ron's face grow pale.

Harry smirked. "Ahh, but McLaggen doesn't have what we have. The fact that Ron's not trying out for Keeper, but Chaser."

Ron's face regained color and he chuckled. "Right. Forgot that for a second."

Albus sneered. "Hah! You won't make chaser. I'll make sure of that."

Ron smirked. "But Albus, you're not team captain. The team captain will be chosen….after."

Albus flushed. "Right. Well, see you later, Ron….Hermione. Pot-Riddle."

Harry sighed. "I guess he doesn't know that Hermione and I are together yet then."

Suddenly Albus's voice sounded from the other side of the table. "WHAT?"

Hermione chuckled. " Scratch that Harry."

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Harry and Draco wandered towards higher Potions class, which Ron did not take. Draco still had a bit of a hard time accepting the fact that Hermione was going to marry Harry, and he had even confided that he would have preferred Daphne. However, Draco was slowly accepting the fact that Harry was not going to budge.

"So, Prince Potter find out about you and Granger?" Draco half sneered as he said Hermione's name.

Harry sighed. "For the last time Draco, call her Hermione. God knows how many times she's told you that."

Draco sniffed. "I am simply trying to get used to her low down status in magical Britain. After all, she's a….mud-muggleborn."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Draco. DRACO. YOU. ARE. A. HALF-BLOOD! For goodness sakes if you don't accept her I'm going to have to tell the whole school about your REAL blood heritage." Harry said.

Draco paled. "You wouldn't!"

Harry smirked. "Try me."

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Ron sat nervously at the table during lunch, staring at the 1 piece of toast on his plate.

Harry looked at Ron's plate sorrowfully. If Ron wasn't eating, then something was seriously wrong with him.

"Come on. You know you can do this Ron! I know you can, Harry knows you can…." Hermione was on the other side of Ron trying to give him a pep talk.

Harry had trained with Ron for the past month. Harry had immediately spotted that Ron was trying out for the wrong position, and quickly re-assigned him for either a beater or chaser. He had a hefty build, and would fly relatively quickly, but his gangly legs and arms would only hinder him as a keeper. Most people thought keepers should be hefty and strong, but in fact keepers should be light and small so that they could fly down and save a goal easily. Ron did well as a beater, but chaser he excelled at. Soon Ron was flying as if he was a pro, and Harry had mentioned to him that perhaps the Chudley Cannons (Ron's favorite team) would have a new chaser by the end of the year. This had brought up the conversation of what Harry wanted to do when he 'graduated' out of Hogwarts.

"Well, I guess I'll be full time Dark Heir then." Harry had joked. "You know, we don't go around killing and maiming. It's more diplomatic talk, on my side, unless someone betrays us and we have to kill them. We are exactly the same as the light side, except that we believe we should not hide from muggles." Harry had explained.

"But, I mean your top of your class! You and 'Mione are always neck to neck. I mean, you'll graduate with top NEWTS. Don't you want to do something with that?"

Harry snorted. "I suppose. But what would I do when I got out of school? Nobody would want the reject, dark Potter. I'd have to change my entire facade, turn light, and that is one thing I am not going to do. Gosh, I just...I don't know." Harry was a bit solemn at the end of that conversation. As for Ron, 'the reject Potter' stuck in his head. The Potters must really have done something bad to him, Ron thought.

Ron sat, clutching his orange juice nervously, his face turning an odd type of green. Harry had to haul him out of the Great Hall.

"Ok Ron, here's the thing. Albus is trying out for seeker and chaser 1. So are you. Now you know that Chaser one is the middle, the best position out of the chasers. If you beat him, Albus won't get on the team as a chaser. At all. Not chaser 2 or 3, or even a reserve. Out. That's the chance you take when you try out for 2 positions. On the bonus side, McGonagall is determining captain and positions, so there will be no influence from Dumbledore or anyone who thinks that the sun shines out of Albus's….well you know what."

Ron grinned, and then turned pale. "Gosh, I'm not going to get on the team. I'm just not going to do it!" Ron whispered.

Harry rolled his eyes. "RON!" He yelled. "WAKE UP! YOU. ARE. GOING. TO. DO. THIS!" Ron was shocked into silence, so Harry dragged him onto the Quidditch pitch, shoved Ron's Cleansweep into his hands, and pushed him towards the sign up board.

Harry walked down to the pitch, Firebolt in hand. The Potters had given him the broom as a present for his birthday, and Harry had decided that while it wasn't as good as his custom made broom, it was good enough.

Not a lot of people knew, but you could get a broom customized to you. Customized brooms were easier to fly and maneuver, but wow were they expensive. Harry had gotten it from Voldemort for his 12th birthday. However it had barely dented Voldemort's fortune.

Harry stood in the seeker try out line, and smirked as the small 3rd years looked up at him, afraid. A few backed away, running of the field as soon as they thought he wasn't looking. Competition was decreasing by the second.

Harry had a bit of a surprise when he saw Ginny Weasley trying out for 2nd Chaser. He hadn't pegged her to be a Quidditch type.

Albus stood next to Ron, glaring at him. For keeper, Cormac Mclaggen was trying out, and….Colin Creevey? The little camera guy who always followed Harry around asking him questions like 'What's your favorite dark spell' or 'Do you have a soul.' Harry had then told him that his favorite dark spell would be used on Colin if he didn't clear out. That had shut him up pretty quickly.

As for seeker, no real competition was left. Harry glanced at a rather portly 5th year. Nope. No competition besides Albus.

After what felt like ages, all the keepers, beaters, 2nd chasers, and 3rd chasers had tried out. Now it was 1st chaser, and then seeker.

Albus grinned arrogantly at Ron, and they both set off, passing the ball to the other players on the field, outstripping all other competition. 2nd chasers and 3rd chasers were switched around, and soon the people left in the competition (you had to get 1 goal every 5 minutes) were Albus and Ron, along with the most likely candidates for the other positions.

Albus and Ron faced each other on opposite sides, two chasers manning their goals, one on one. McGonagall threw the Quaffle in the air, and Ron grabbed it before Albus even reached his arms out, and scored a goal. Albus scowled and got the Quaffle and soared towards the other goal. Ron swooped past him, grabbing the Quaffle scoring another goal. 2-0 for Ron, and if he scored 1 more goal, his chaser position was secure.

Ron flew towards Albus, going easily around him, and raced to the goal. That was when Albus tried an extremely cowardly move.

He grabbed Ron's foot, pushed the Quaffle out of his hands, and then punched his fingers so that Ron would let go of the broom and be out of the competition. McGonagall started blowing her whistle madly, but Albus, not hearing continued to pound poor Ron's fingers. Harry could see Ron gritting his teeth. Ron swung himself up on the broom, grabbed the Quaffle, and flew away from a surprised Albus. He then scored easily and flew down to the ground, his ears completely red from anger.

Albus landed, an arrogant yet distinctly guilty look on his face.

"I demand that Albus be taken out of try-outs!" Ron said, sounding a bit like Hermione.

McGonagall passed her hand over her face wearily. "Yes, I am afraid Mr. Potter that that was an extremely cowardly move, and most definitely a foul. You could have killed Mr. Weasley if you had been in a game, where the referee has no wand and cannot cast a cushioning charm, which I was prepared to do. You have a month's detentions and are hereby banned from-"

"Excuse me Professor McGonagall. "

Dumbledore.

"I believe that what young Mr. Potter did here was simply an act of….well desperation. However no harm came to Mr. Weasley and so I think that all is fine, is that not so m' boys?" Dumbledore said, his eyes glinting. "Furthermore, I believe that this try out should be held again, as obviously Mr. Weasley had the upper hand."

McGonagall bristled. "And how, Albus did Mr. Weasley have the upper hand? You have never played Quidditch, if I can recall correctly."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah yes. But I believe that boys will be boys and that you should judge them fairly. Albus, was definitely the superior player."

McGonagall turned red. "Would you like to know the final score? 1-16 Albus. For Mr. Weasley."

Now Dumbledore was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable. "Well I-"

"Albus, end of matter. Mr. Potter can still try out if you insist, for seeker, but another cowardly move like that and I will ban him from touching a broom till the end of school."

Albus gulped and looked at Harry, who smirked in return. Albus had obviously been betting on getting the chaser position.

As Harry and Albus mounted their brooms, Harry looked at him. He was pale, but something wild glinted in his eyes.

Harry took off, easily outstripping the younger ones, Albus on his tail. He chased the snitch. The goal was to catch it before anyone else did, but unlike any other snitches, this one was charmed to go faster than usual. Harry grinned and swerved throwing Albus off course who was deliberately following him. The snitch grew closer and closer, as Harry streched out his hand and….

BAM!

Albus had swerved into Harry's side, throwing him off course. Harry quickly regained the lead, but continued to glare at Albus.

Albus had a grim look on his face, and without Harry realising it, stuck out his foot and pushed the tail of Harry's broom. Down below, McGonagall was blowing her whistle like mad, but the brothers didn't stop. This was war. Albus and Harry weren't going to stop until someone won.

The snitch flew up higher and higher until the air grew cold and windy. Harry groaned. Why did this always happen to him?

Albus sneered at Harry, and with a burst, closed in on him. The Potter brothers were now neck to neck, both hands stretching out.

Harry closed his fingers and….HE CAUGHT IT! Harry caught the snitch with a triumphant grin, and Albus was looking at his own hand in disbelief.

"Sorry Albie. I guess you didn't win...again!" Harry said mockingly.

Albus grinned slowly."Sure….I didn't win up here. But nobody knows that, do they?" Albus lunged forward with his broom, and Harry, seeing what he was about to do, quickly started flying down. They had reached the Quidditch pitch when suddenly Albus flew right into Harry with a sickening crack. Harry grabbed onto the broom with one hand, and Albus, repeating the actions he did with Ron, started pounding on his fingers. Harry sighed internally. Some people never learned.

Harry felt a sharp pain on his knuckles, and looked up to see that Albus had drawn his wand. Albus shot a blue curse onto Harry's knuckles (a stinging hex) and then quickly loosened the fingers. Harry looked up at his brother, who was now holding his arm. Harry was dangling 30 meters off the ground.

"Why on earth are you doing this Albus?" He shouted.

Albus's face twisted."Because you deserve it. You take everything away from me! My parents, my siblings, even my godfather and girlfriend (Harry decided not to mention that Hermione was never his girlfriend) even though you're an evil dark...thing!"

With that, finally having vented his bitterness at the attention directed at Harry, Albus dropped him.

Harry fell.

And fell.

Not again.

CRACK!

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"There you go Mr. Potter. Your arms all healed. Thank goodness you only landed on you side." Madame Pomfrey said, fussing over a rather bruised Harry.

Hermione was by his side. "Oh, why does this always happen to you?" She whispered, pale. "I mean, seriously!"

Harry grinned. "It's ok Mione. Come on, let's go down to the Great Hall. We don't want to miss the Halloween feast, do we?"

Harry had landed on the Quidditch pitch, on his side, breaking his arm. However, Madame Pomfrey had fixed that up pretty quickly. Albus had been banned from Quidditch for the rest of the year, and McGonagall had filed a complaint with the ministry. Albus could be banned from Quidditch for the rest of his life. Even Dumbledore hadn't argued with her, and Harry could hear him talking to Albus after saying things like, "I am very disappointed."

But that was only a small bit of it. The Potters had stormed out of the floo entrance in the hospital wing, to where Albus was sitting. They had yelled at him, and then taken his broom away. Harry had felt quite smug about the whole affair until James had turned around to Albus and said something that had hit to close to home for Harry.

"No son of mine tries to do something that you just did. You aren't a Potter." James spat.

Harry had stood up then, despite his broken arm.

"Don't say that." Harry had said, a little pale.

James had clapped a hand over his mouth, and gazed horrified at Harry. He remembered exactly when he had said that to Harry.

"I...I'm sorry Harry." James had said softly.

"No you're not. Just goes to show how people don't change." Harry had shrugged.

Albus, confused by the whole affair, took the opportunity to appeal to his mother.

"Mum, please can I have my firebolt back plllleeeeaaase!" He had wheedled.

Harry sighed as he walked down to the Great Hall. He had gotten the place of seeker (duh!) and, surprisingly Team Captain. Never had Harry thought he would get that. But it seemed that McGonagall had been a bit guilty over the entire affair with Albus, and pleased that Harry had not reacted violently towards him. Harry felt quite smug at the look on Albus's face after this.

Hermione was talking to him."I mean, why does this always happen to you? It's like you're some type of magnet for trouble."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, that's how Nev always describes me." Harry's expression grew a little sad. "Well, that's how he used to describe me."

Hermione wrapped an arm around him. "I know you miss them Harry, but just think. When you graduate, there will be nothing holding you back, unless they decide to put you in Azkaban. That won't happen, because Dumbledore managed to get all charges dropped on the account that you were put under Imperius and then brainwashed or something like that."

Harry rolled his eyes."Only Dumbledore would manage to get me released with some stupid crap like that." After Harry had been captured, the ministry had wanted to take him in for questioning, but Dumbledore had managed to get Harry's charges dropped.

Hermione sighed. "Just bear in mind that once you are an adult, you won't get off so easily."

Harry kissed the top of her head. "But I won't be caught again. Dad has plans to infiltrate the ministry and- well I can't tell you right now. Come on, let's go eat some dinner, shall we?"

Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall holding hands. They sat down and were just about to eat when Harry saw something that made him smirk.

"Bout' time he got his act together."

"Wha-?" Hermione's question was stopped when she started choking and laughing at the same time. At the front of the hall stood Draco, holding hands with none other than….

"Ginny?" said Ron, his voice full of disbelief. "I mean, come on! Draco Malfoy?"

Harry was laughing at the goofy expressions on both Draco and Ginny's faces. They parted ways, Draco going to the Slytherin table and Ginny to Gryffindor. Ron was glowering at her when she sat down.

"What?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Your...Your together with MALFOY?" Ron half shouted.

Ginny smiled. "Yup." She said, popping the 'p'.

Harry grinned."About time. I was getting fed up of him talking about how your hair resembled a sunset. I quote _With those chocolate eyes of hers she looks into my very soul and her fiery hair surrounds her head like an angel…_" Harry doubled over with laughter. "He was planning on writing you a poem, but in the end I threw it in the lake. No need to thank me."

Ginny was giggling along with Harry. "Did he really say that?" She said, a little bit dreamily.

"Every word." Harry said, loving how Ron's face was just getting redder and redder.

"I thought you fancied Albus?" He whispered.

Ginny flushed. "OH please, that was just a crush when I was little. Until I met him during my first year. Gosh, I would never, ever want to go out with Albus. Especially after what he did to you last year."

Ron muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Better than a Malfoy."

Just then Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands.

"Happy Halloween everyone! I am sure you are all eyeing this wonderful feast, but first I have a few announcements to make. I would like everyone to please, welcome Ms. Greengrass back to Hogwarts!"

The Great Hall doors opened, and there stood Daphne Greengrass, smiling around the Great Hall.

McGonagall came forward with the sorting hat. Harry jolted from his reverie of seeing Daphne again, asked Hermione "Why is she being sorted again?"

Hermione glanced at Daphne uneasily. "In accordance to the old rules, if a student leaves Hogwarts for one year, then they are allowed to be sorted again. I don't think she could have changed that much. She was in Slytherin before hand….."

Harry frowned as Daphne made her way front. She daintily sat down on the chair. Harry looked at her. Her skin was a bit more tan, and her long pale blonde hair spilled across her shoulders in loose curls. Definitely longer than in had been. Daphne was as beautiful as ever, Harry mused. Of course, one couldn't say that about her personality. Harry caught her eye for one second, and in that second, her deep blue eyes, almost lavender sparkled with….what was it? Amusement? Anger? A promise for revenge? Harry drew Hermione to him closer, without him realising it, until Hermione whispered in his ear.

"It's alright Harry. She's not going to hurt me if that's what you think."

Harry looked at her. She didn't know Daphne as well as he did. The Daphne he knew was sly and cunning and wouldn't rest until she got what she wanted. Harry was not looking forward to that.

McGonagall placed the hat on Daphne's head, and Daphne's face took on a sly look. One that Harry had seen before. The last he had seen it was during the summer ball.

"Ravenclaw, probably Slytherin again." Harry whispered to Ron.

"Ten Galleons on Gryffindor." Ron said.

Harry laughed outright. "Hah! I will be enjoying those ten galleons in the upcoming Hogsmeade expedition then."

Then, to Harry's absolute and utter shock, the hat called out, "Gryffindor!"

Ron smirked. "Ten galleons please. You gotta remember, she went to the school with me, and that she always did some rash things."

Harry muttered some curses. "You didn't know her like I did though." He said, even though Ron couldn't hear him. Something was up with this sorting, Harry thought.

Everyone clapped politely, among some whispering. Harry looked over at Draco, and for some reason he looked vaguely guilty. Huh. Harry would investigate that later. For now he had to deal with the problem that was currently walking towards him.

To Harry's relief, Daphne chose a place at the very head of the table, next to Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Daphne didn't spare one glance in his direction. But, at the same time, Harry just couldn't get rid of that slightly put out and annoyed feeling that she was ignoring him.

Harry had an enjoyable evening after that, and even Hermione, who had been slightly worried, but now was laughing with Ron. Harry grinned. Who thought that the reject Potter, the Dark Prince could have made such wonderful friendships?

As they made their way upstairs to the dorms, Harry and Hermione took a short stroll up to her dorm.

Outside the Head Girls dorm, Hermione kissed Harry softly. Her eyes twinkled.

"See? Daphne didn't do anything. Nothing to worry about Harry. Honestly, you can really be quite phobic sometimes." Hermione teased.

Harry looked at her dorm longily. "Can I come in for a bit….Pllleeeaaassseee?" He wheedled.

Hermione sighed. "No. Last night we both fell asleep on my sofa, and seriously, the rumors that have gone around since then are...well crazy. Anyway, I have to study and I can't stay up talking all night with you."

Harry pouted. "But when I go to my dorm I'll be greeted by Seamus and Dean muttering death threats. Seriously, it's not nice to sleep in a room with people who want to kill you!"

Hermione giggled. "I'm sure you can defend yourself very well. Didn't you once tell me that you slept with a knife under your pillow? Or was that just trying to impress me?" Hermione waggled her eyebrows, and Harry flushed. Yes, it was true, he had been trying to impress Hermione at the time.

Harry sighed. "Alright. See you later!" He gave her a goodbye kiss.

"Hey Mione? Just...Just remember that...well that I love you. Ok?" Harry had a troubled look on his face, and for reasons that he could not fathom, he felt inexplicably worried.

Hermione's face softened. "I love you too, Harry."

Harry grinned. He walked away with a bounce in his step, brushing off the unexpected feelings of worry he had.

Humming, Harry decided to take a small stroll around the castle. He had done this every night, checking for secret passages that might lead a way out of Hogwarts. So far, his father's attempts at getting him out of Hogwarts had been unsuccessful. So, Voldemort had asked Harry to try and find a way out, from the inside.

Cheerfully, Harry strolled up towards the Astronomy tower, the one place that he hadn't checked yet. Muttering some charms under his breath, a golden light, right near the edge of the stairs indicated that there was a passage there. Harry felt a slow smile spread across his face, no matter how silly he felt. Now he was one step closer to getting out of Hogwarts.

Sighing, Harry rolled up his sleeves and began inspecting the brickwork for any chinks. Aha! There was a small rune, that looked strangely like…..

Harry looked down and his wrist. There was the exact same symbol, the small tattoo he had gotten from Voldemort 6 years ago. Frowning, Harry carefully pressed the symbol. Nothing. Oh well, Harry sighed. He would come back later. This was….curious. Harry had done some research on the symbol, many years ago, trying to find out why Voldemort had given him that mark. He had asked his father many times what it meant, but he had never gotten an answer.

Sighing, Harry looked at the clear sky, itching to go flying. It was a beautiful night, and the warm breeze, unusual for October ruffled his curls. Neville had often laughed at his hair, as it was rather messy and long, but Harry liked it just fine. His hair was extremely black, so black that it even had a blue tint to it. He had never really thought about his appearance until a few days ago. Hermione had very helpfully filled him in on why girls thought he was handsome.

_Flashback_

_Harry had just come back from practicing Quidditch with Ron. He glanced at his watch. Lunch! Gosh, he was hungry. _

"_Hey Mione." Harry said casually, and started to wolf down his lunch. Looking up, he saw Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil looking at him and giggling. Feeling self-conscious, he checked if he had spilt any food on his t-shirt. Nothing. Now annoyed, he turned to Hermione for answers. _

"_What are they staring at?" Harry grumbled. _

_Hermione's eyes sparkled. "What do you think? Look, Harry, you've just come back from Quidditch practice, wearing a rather….fitting t-shirt. You don't have a bad body and you are, well the Dark Lord's heir." _

_Harry looked bemused. "How is wearing a comfortable t-shirt, keeping fit and being evil something to stare at?" _

_Hermione face palmed. "Harry, just...just look in the mirror for once will you?" _

_When Harry went into the bathrooms that night, he stared for a very long time in the mirror. Then he suddenly realised what Hermione meant. He was….handsome? Scrutinizing his face, Harry realised that he had come a long way from his 11 year old self, which was the last time he had really thought about his appearance. _

_Harry had become lean, strong and tall. His hair, still a little bit curly at the ends, hung into his eyes and just touched his ears. It was a midnight color, so black that if he turned in the light you could see a hint of blue. His eyes were a piercing green, and his high cheekbones gave him a, while aristocratic look, also a roguish feel. His face was a very striking yet handsome face. He couldn't be described as gangly, and he moved with grace. Only two things about him gave a hint about what he could have looked like without the potion; His nose and eyes. Harry turned away from the mirror. Gosh, he thought. But what does being evil have to do with this? _

_When he asked Hermione the next day, she sighed, exasperated. "Because it makes you mysterious, you dummy. Not all goody goody, but an mysterious, roguish fellow that goes around fighting aurors and not getting arrested. That's what I heard from Pavarti and Lavender anyway." _

_End flashback. _

Harry grinned remembering this, and swept his hair out of his face. Wouldn't it be fun to be the new heartthrob at Hogwarts, rather than Albus whose hair was still a shining red color? Hmmm….Harry thought. Maybe he should think on that idea.

Harry leaned on the balcony of the Astronomy tower, enjoying the warm breeze and twinkling stars.

"Enjoying the view?"

Harry whirled around to see Daphne Greengrass smirking at him.

Harry turned a crimson color at being caught staring like a lovesick puppy at the sky. By no other than his former girlfriend. How embarrassing. Sniffing he managed to regain his dignity….well actually never mind. No way to regain his dignity after looking at the stars in such a way. Harry scuffed his shoes on the floor.

"Just what I though. You've turned into a softie while I've been away, Rid." Daphne said, still smirking.

Harry jerked at hearing Daphne's nickname for him. Before they had started dating, Daphne and Harry had been friends, due to her father's position in the inner circle. She and Draco had often come over for tutoring along with Harry and Neville. She had called him Riddle at first, to stiff and shy to call him anything else. Eventually, she had shortened it to Rid, just to annoy him.

Harry returned a wry smile. "Anything but, Daph. I am a hardcore Dark Prince now, full-time."

Daphne grinned, her pompous facade slipping away. She came closer, hesitantly, and then, to Harry's surprise launched herself and him, hugging him tightly.

"Harry, I'm so sorry, really I am, I missed you, please, please forgive me!" She sobbed, hugging him tightly.

Surprised, Harry automatically hugged her back. His t-shirt turning wet from Daphne's sobs, he pushed her back and looked her in the eye.

"Daph….Look, I'm sorry too. I really would have liked to carry on dating you, I guess but things didn't work out and we both reacted in anger."

Daphne's face brightened, and she wiped away her tears, embarrassed. "Does that mean we can still...date? Start where we left off?"

Harry stared at Daphne in shock. Hadn't she heard anything from Neville?

Harry hesitated. "Er...Daph….I don't know how to put this but…...I'm engaged."

Daphne's face darkened, and her eyes flashed. "What? I….Was I that easy to replace?"

Harry looked away. "I...do you remember me telling you that I had this friend at Hogwarts that I would sneak out to meet? Well….her name was Hermione….She's head girl here at Hogwarts. Anyway, we were best friends from ages 12 on. And, after you left, I realised that I did love her….more than a friend. She and I started dating a few months after you left. And….a month ago I...proposed. We're going to get married after the war is over."

Daphne turned away, her voice barely hinting that she was angry. "The mudblood? I thought you had better taste than that Rid. "

Harry's face turned to stone. "Enough Daph. I love her, and that's it. She never betrayed me the way you did. Ever. She knew who I was all along, and yet she didn't care. My father doesn't either, and so you have to learn to deal with it, because soon she'll be your new Dark Lady….Well if she agrees to that that is."

Daphne turned around to face him. "And does she know? How many people you've killed? I do. Does she know that you have nightmares regularly? I do. Does she know that all those times you were injured, or tired, or sad, or angry, I was there to comfort you? Does she Harry? I've always been there for you. And I love you Harry. "

Harry watched her quietly. "Daphne. Stop. I love **her,** and that's final."

With that, Harry walked out of the Astronomy Tower, leaving a distraught Daphne who soon began to plot revenge.

**Ok, thanks for reading this! PLEASE, PLEASE review! I always get reviews from Talish, thank you very much! It would be really great if all of you just gave me a comment about the story. Thank you! **

**-Threstrals101 **

**P.S- I am aware that there have been some timeline mistakes. I will try to fix those as soon as possible, but here's a little info for the people who are maybe confused. **

**(No dates or years, just ages) **

**Albus and Harry are born-**

**Harry and Albus are 4 and are attacked by Voldemort. **

**Harry is 5 and is becoming more and more ignored by parents**

**Harry is 6 and is practically caring for himself (Sirius is still there) **

**Harry is almost 8 and Neville disappears. Sirius is banned from Potter household**

**Harry turns 11, runs away. He meets Draco and Daphne a few months after he arrives. **

**Harry turns 12, meets Hermione for the first time. **

**Harry turns 15, he starts dating Daphne. **

**Harry turns 16, breaks up with Daphne. A few months later, begins dating Hermione. **

**Harry turns 17, and due to uncertainty in war, he decides to propose to Hermione so that they can get married after the war. **

**Harry on his 17th birthday, gets captured by Light side. **

**Hope this cleared things up! **


	11. And it all falls apart

**Chapter 11: WHOOHOO! Wow, I'm kinda proud of myself. I MADE 11 CHAPTERS WHOOHOO! Sorry, just had a little proud fanfiction writer moment there. Ok, so here's the new chappie, enjoy AND PLEASE REVIEW! :D:D:D XD**

**P.S- I don't own Harry Potter. **

"You, Mr. Potter-"

"Riddle"

"Mr Potter, will die a horrible death by a person with…." Trelawny glanced around the room to see who would make the best murderer. "With red hair. His name begins with an...R...or is it a B...no an R and as you die, you will gasp "Ron...I mean R-Something, my friend, why did you betray me?" Trelawny gave a rather convincing performance of someone dying, indicating that she had done it before. As she gave a small scream, her eyes wide with fear, Harry shook his head at the load of hippogriff dung this women came up with. Voldemort's seer was much better.

"His motive will be to get back his one true love which you stole recently and-"

Ron coughed to disguise a snort, but Harry roared with laughter, ignoring Trelawny's glares.

"Honestly Professor, I don't think Ron's going to kill me."

Trelawny sniffed. "I never said it was Mr. Weasley. It could be…..er….Someone in the next….Class dismissed!" Trelawny said, obviously flustered that the entire class was stifling giggles.

Harry was still chuckling over the whole matter with Ron when he heard a voice behind him.

"Harry...wait!"

Harry turned around to see Daphne running down to meet him. Harry sighed and waved Ron to go on ahead to the Great Hall. He hadn't talked to Daphne for a few weeks now, ever since that disastrous meeting in the Astronomy tower.

"What is it, Daphne?" Harry said, waiting.

Daphne looked at him earnestly. "I just wanted to say sorry for that night. I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression. Let's be friends, ok? Just friends."

Harry smiled, glad that Daphne had overcome her obvious anger over the engagement of Harry and Hermione. "Glad to hear that Daph. Oh, by the way, do you have any contact with….my father?"

Daphne glanced around, and pulled Harry into a smaller corridor.

"Do you know why I'm here Rid?"

"To get a good ol' Hogwarts education?"

Daphne rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot. To get you out of the castle, and gain information. So, tell me, what have you discovered in a way of getting out of the castle?"

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Harry and Daphne skipped Arithmancy, and hunted for a way to get out of the castle.

"I'm huuunnnnggggrryyyy!" Harry moaned, as they climbed the winding staircase that led to the Astronomy tower.

Daphne smirked and pulled out a flask of pumpkin juice and cauldron cake. "Ha, Rid, you forget how well I know you. I came prepared."

Harry eagerly devoured the food, and they set on their way, Harry bounding up the stairs like a puppy, eager to show Daphne the passageway he had found. Daphne just shook her head, amused and followed him.

Harry pointed out the symbol he had found the night the two of them had met in the Astronomy tower, and both of them struggled to remember what it meant, until Daphne had a 'bingo!' moment.

Daphne looked at him excitedly. "This is the Deathly Hallows sign! The same sign you have on your arm!"

Harry face palmed. He remembered reading a story about the sign. Carefully, he traced the symbol with his wand, and to his surprise, the little symbol went back, and the bricks started rearranging themselves, leaving a small hole that was just big enough for Daphne and Harry to crawl through.

Beckoning to Daphne, Harry started to crawl through the hold. He stood up on the ground, his head barely touching the ceiling of the passageway.

"Hmm….let's explore it tonight Daph, ok? I don't want anyone coming up to the Astronomy tower and discovering this passage ok?"

Daphne looked at him like he was crazy. "Harry, you could get out of Hogwarts right now! What's keeping you behind and don't give me that crazy I don't want us to be discovered idea."

Harry grumbled. "Fine, I don't want Hermione to not know where I am."

Daphne's expression soured. "Oh, right. The mudblood."

Harry glared at her. "Be careful with what you say Daph." With that he walked off without waiting for her.

Daphne caught up to him. "Look, I'm sorry Rid, ok? It's just hard for me, and I have to get used to the fact that you're marrying someone else, when I always thought that it would be me. I don't mind anymore, honestly Rid, and I've let go of any feelings I used to have for you, but it's just hard. Try to understand that, ok? "

Harry's expression softened. "Alright Daph. Coming for lunch?"

Daphne looked down at her feet blushing. "No….I have to meet up with Seamus. He asked me out a week ago."

Harry stared at her. "What? But you barely know him!" He said, scowling.

Daphne glared at him. "He's been really nice to me ever since I came here. We were talking and it turns out that he had this enormous crush on me when he was in 5th year, before I went to Beauxbatons. And, well I think he's nice and he's cute, so I agreed when he asked me out! End of matter!" She huffed, her immaculate blonde hair swinging in a frenzy as she spoke.

Harry felt something stirring inside of him, something he hadn't felt in a long time. Was it...jealousy? No, he told himself firmly. You love Hermione.

"Well have fun then I guess." Harry said a bit glumly.

Daphne's expression brightened. "Thanks Rid! And don't worry about me. Seamus is...well Seamus is something special. I think he may be the one." Daphne said dreamily.

Harry watched sourly as she met up with Seamus Finnigan at the end of the hall, grabbed his hand and pulled him giggling into another corridor. With a shake of his head, Harry entered the Great Hall and headed to Ron and Hermione, the latter of which was immersed in another dusty old tome that was about the thickness of the large log table that they currently sat at.

"Just a question Mione," Harry heard Ron asking Hermione as he sat down, "How on earth do you carry that thing around with you? No offense, but with all the other books you're carrying" Harry glanced at Hermione's feet where 3 other books each bigger than the last lay, "combined with the fact that you aren't exactly Ms. Macho, how on earth do you carry them around?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "One word Ron. Listen closely because it may affect and change your life forever."

Ron leaned in, eager for this wonderful secret of Hermiones.

"Magic."

Harry laughed at the dumb expression on Ron's face, and sat down, giving Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek, chuckling as she blushed, and started to heap his plate with food. He was talking with Hermione and Ron, when something caught the corner of his eye.

Daphne and Seamus entered the room, both with grins on their faces, and sat down next to each other on the other side of the table. Harry clenched his glass, glaring at them. Hermione, noticing his expression, followed his gaze down the table.

"Er, Harry, you know she's just trying to make you jealous...and I sure hope that it isn't working." Hermione said gently, but with a frown on her face.

Harry shook his head. "No...No I just think that she's being a bit rash. She barely knows Seamus, and she's only just got here. I don't get it!"

Hermione looked a bit sad. "Harry, she's trying to make you jealous. Please don't be affected by this. I'm here, remember?"

Harry glanced at Hermione, and his expression softened. "No, Mione, I'm not jealous in that way. And Daphne is NOT trying to make me jealous. She said that Seamus might be 'the one' and Daphne doesn't lie about that type of stuff" But Harry felt uneasy inside as he told this to Hermione. Was he absolutely sure that he wasn't in love with Daphne anymore?

As Harry munched on his food, he wondered how he was going to tell Hermione that he was leaving tonight. Maybe surprise her with…..aha! Harry grinned mischieviously. He knew exactly how to make sure that Hermione wasn't sad that he left.

"Mione- Head up with Ron tonight to the usual spot, ok?" Harry whispered to her as he left.

Hermione nodded back and began to whisper to Ron.

For nearly a month now, the 3 friends had been meeting up in the Room of Requirement, just for fun, and to practice their spells and battle techniques. They had agreed never to talk about their alliances. The friendship they had formed was something...indestructible, and Harry now knew that if it ever came down to it, Harry would never be able to kill Ron, and Ron would never be able to kill him if they faced each other in a battle. They had a friendship that was special, and nothing could break it. One night, when Hermione had been studying in the Head Girl dorm, she had heard Albus describe the trio as the "Golden Trio", in a disgusted voice. Ever since then, their code name as a joke had been "Golden Trio."

Harry walked outside the Great Hall with Hermione. They took a quick walk outside, and Harry led her down to the lake, where they talked.

Then, Harry took a deep breath. This was it. The final step.

He got down on one knee, drew a small black box from his pocket, and opened it, revealing a simple silver band, with a small shining rock on it. It was crystal clear, but at the same time seemed to reflect the colors of the rainbow. Wizards rock. On the side of the band the words "Forever and Always" were engraved.

Hermione gasped and a small tear slipped down her cheek. "Really? I thought our engagement was only in words, just for now! Oh Harry!"

Harry grinned as she launched herself onto him and peppered him with kisses. "Wait, Mione let me explain how important this ring is. Inside the ring is unicorn hair and thestral smoke. Same with my ring. That links them you know we have a soul bond, but still can choose other partners if we wish. With this ring on, we are as good as married. I have a more simple one as well, for me. Once both of us put this on, only death can part us, or an ancient spell that will separate us. It's almost impossible to perform. It's hard to explain, but if we don't find ourselves happy with one another, we can still find another partner, but never get married or have children or something. This will prevent the usage of love potions or something Mione, which I'm worried Albus will try."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure either of us is ready for that, Harry. There is a war going on, and we can't make that decision just yet. I'll carry it in my pocket, just to remind myself, ok?"

Harry agreed. He had known before hand that Hermione would probably say that, but he already had his ring on (a simple tarnished gold one, with the same core as Hermione's.), and told her that anytime she wished, she could put it on. Harry never ever wanted to lose Hermione.

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That night, Harry carefully made his way towards the Room of Requirement, aware of the fact that in six hours he was meeting Daphne to escape Hogwarts forever. Harry was happy, but he was also slightly sad. And worried. For Hermione. Because when everyone found out that he had escaped, she was sure to be bombarded with questions from the Order of the Phoenix as well as Aurors. Their relationship was dangerous enough; Everyone knew that because of their relationship, Hermione could be labeled dark. The only thing that was keeping her from being interrogated was the simple fact that she was a muggleborn. Everyone wondered why Harry was seen with her when he was supposed to hate muggleborns, but they dismissed this, and just thought about Voldemort, the supposed muggleborn hater AND Harry's father.

Harry entered their Room of Requirement that they had designed for them. Not unlike the train compartment that Harry had transformed during the train ride to Hogwarts, it had a huge training area, a relaxing area, a sleeping area, bathrooms and a direct connection to "Quick Owl" the best fast owl restaurant around. Only owls could enter through the small window that had somehow appeared even though the ROR was not connected to the outside. Harry plonked down in the relaxing area on a comfortable saggy couch and promptly fell asleep without knowing.

A few hours later he was shaken awake by an amused looking Hermione. Harry sat up, readjusted his glasses and ruffled his hair. Ron plonked down into a chair. Harry looked at his watch. 4 hours to go. Plenty of time. Since he was meeting Daphne at 2 in the morning, he was glad he had had that nap. He took a deep breath and began to tell them what was going to happen soon.

"Guys, I don't know how to put this any other way…..but…..I'm leaving tonight."

Harry had already predicted their reactions, but he hadn't thought they would be like this. Ron's ears grew red, a sure sign that he was angry, but all the while his blue eyes suddenly seemed a bit…doubtful. He turned away so that Harry couldn't see his face. Hermione on the other hand looked sorrowful, but something in her eyes told Harry that there was more to what she was feeling. Her eyes flashed, and Harry knew that she was angry.

"So that's it? You're just going to leave, and the next time we'll see each other will be on the battlefield? And what about Hermione? Are you just going to leave her here?" Ron said, angrily.

Harry felt a lump in his throat. While Draco and Neville were basically brothers to him (Neville having grown up with Harry), Ron and Harry had a type of brotherly bond that couldn't be easily broken. It was almost like the twin bond Harry had had with Albus. Harry shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Nah, mate it won't be like that. I'll...I'll ask my father to spare you or something." He said wildly, his voice cracking a bit.

Hermione smiled oddly. "What do you mean Harry? Your father won't spare Ron, who comes from the biggest blood traitor family in England, ok?"

Harry looked at her angrily. "No, Mione, don't say that ok? I can't kill someone who's my brother all but in blood. I...I can't dammit! I knew that Hogwarts was bad! It's made me care for my enemies!" Harry jumped up and kicked a plastic dummy that they used for training.

"The dark and the light are merging into something...grey." Ron's hollow voice said.

Harry spun around, something about those words seeming familiar. He shook his head and moved on. "What do you mean by that Ron? And besides that's not the point!"

Ron stood up. "Don't you understand? When you arrived at Hogwarts, I thought you were evil. I didn't want anything to do with you! People from your side have killed my family. Fenrir Greyback scarred by brother Bill for life. Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband killed my uncles, my mum's brothers. You aren't the only one with problems about being friends with the other side, ok? My mum is already bugging me about it, and now Gin's gone off and started dating a Malfoy! Whose father is a KNOWN death eater!"

Harry tried to calm him down. "I know, I know."

Hermione watched him. "Who're you going with Harry? Out of the castle?"

Harry spun around wildly to meet her suspicious eyes. "Er….Daphne?"

Hermione's eyes lit. "Urgh her. She's evil, I hope you know that, Harry."

Harry looked at her surprised. "Please, don't say that Mione. She's been my friend for ages."

Ron snorted. "If I don't see you again, Riddle, I hope you know that you're a right idiot. You know that what your 'father' is doing is wrong, but you refuse to see it! Everyone has taken a risk about having you here and you just sit around and try and aggravate everyone by not cooperating! You think you know everything, but you don't. No, the real reason you don't want to go back to the light side is because you like being the Dark Prince. You don't want to face the harsh truth that back here, you are an equal, like everyone else and that you won't be a pampered little prince with the Potters!"

Hermione looked slightly guilty. "It's true Harry. You just don't want to see the truth."

Harry saw red. "YOU KNOW NOTHING! HOW DARE YOU! I WAS MISERABLE WITH THE LIGHT! MY PARENTS IGNORED ME, TOLD ME I WAS A DISGRACE, NEARLY KILLED ME! AND ALBUS SAT THERE, BEING LOVED, BEING CARED FOR AND I SAT IN MY COLD ROOM WITHOUT ANYONE, FOR 6 BLOODY YEARS! YOU KNOW WHAT MY FATHER ONCE SAID TO ME? HE TOLD ME THAT I WASN'T A POTTER BECAUSE I COULDN'T STAND UP WHEN I HAD HORNTAIL POX!"

Ron turned away sullenly. "Whatever. You're a prat. I only became friends with you on Dumbledore's orders anyway, so good riddance." At this, Harry felt his heart stop, and he had to clench his fists from punching Ron. Desperately, he turned to Hermione.

Hermione looked at her feet. "Harry stop. You're being way too sensitive. What's in the past is in the past. Let it go, ok?"

Harry turned on Hermione. "I thought that you understood me. I told you all about my horrible childhood and you turn on me the second you think that I am unsavable. That's what I was, wasn't it? Your little project. Well guess what, Granger," He said, spitting the name. "The engagement's off. I don't want to get married to a two sided….witch."

Hermione had an odd gleam in her eyes. "Well good riddance. I would prefer the famous boy-who-lived any day over his reject brother. "

Harry felt tears burn behind his eyes as he realised that the light, once more had betrayed him. Without a word, he turned and ran from the room.

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Harry sat huddled by the secret passageway, waiting for Daphne. He couldn't wait to get out of Hogwarts.

His friends. How could they? No- his enemies. Harry wouldn't be any reprieve for them on the battlefield. When they begged for mercy, Harry would remind them of this night, and they would be sorry.

Harry heard the light pitter patter of feet, and he knew that Daphne had arrived. As she emerged, Harry took her in sorrowfully. Sure, Daphne had made a bad mistake, but she hadn't betrayed him. Not the way Hermione and Ron had. Harry had loved Hermione with all of his heart, but now he realized that she had tricked him. Alas! If only he had held onto Daphne. Now she was together with Seamus. He had missed his opportunity and he had paid dearly.

A small sob emitted from Daphne as she emerged into the light. Her golden hair shone brightly in the moonlight, and it was tied back in a french braid, with small wisps of hair escaping and framing her face. Her hair was incredibly long, Harry noticed, the french braid going halfway down her back. Her face had a few tears on them, but not one red blotch that usually accompanied crying was there, no her ivory skin stayed as pale and smooth as ever, and her violet eyes swam with tears.

"Harry." She choked, and rushed to his side, sobbing as Harry enveloped her into a warm hug, shedding a few of his own tears. They stood there for a while, comforting each other as the frosty air blew in.

Harry stood back and gently wiped the tears away from Daphne's face. "What's wrong, Daph?"

Another tear rolled down her face. "Harry, I'm sorry. I...I got together with Seamus because I wanted to make you jealous. But in the end I really did like him...I thought that maybe I could love him. Anyway it turns out that he was also doing it for different reasons….but with worse intentions. He...He had a bet with Albus that he could get me to fall in love with him! And then he would dump me, leaving the Slytherin Ice Queen heartbroken. That's what he said to Dean anyway...I heard them in the common room as I was leaving!" Daphne broke out into fresh sobs.

Harry growled. "I'll kill him first Daph, I promise. And...I've had a betrayal of my own tonight as well."

Daphne shivered. "Who?"

Harry turned away so she wouldn't see the pain in his eyes. "The know-it-all and the blood traitor. Granger and Weasley."

Daphne looked surprised. "I thought you liked them! And since when have you called your fiance a know-it-all?"

Harry snarled. "Former fiance." He then proceeded to tell Daphne about what had happened earlier, and watched as her face grew darker and darker.

After he finished, Daphne hugged him. "I'm so sorry Harry. Honestly. We'll get them for you, I promise. No one will ever betray you like that back at home."

Harry smiled at her. "I was a fool Daph. An utter idiot to trust them. I ...I should have known better." He said, as his voice cracked.

"Damn! I was never this emotional idiot back at Riddle manor!"

Daphne laughed.

Harry sighed. "Look, Daph, I was an idiot...about us ok? I should have seen that what Hermione and I had was fake, as she just tricked me into loving her despite the fact that all along she was most likely working for Dumbledore.. I...I shouldn't have let you go that easily.

Daphne looked confused. "What're you saying Rid?"

Harry took a deep breath and closed the small distance between them. "What I mean, Daph is that I still love you."

Their kiss was slow, passionate and Harry felt as if the world had lifted of his shoulders. A small part of him that had been hollow when he had seen Daphne with Seamus was suddenly filled and he vowed never, ever let Daphne go again.

After what seemed like only a few seconds, Harry and Daphne broke apart, both with smiles on their faces.

"Harry , we have to go, c'mon, we've only got a few minutes till someone notices that we're gone."

Harry grinned at her and pulled her in again for another kiss. This turned into a full blown snogging session, until suddenly a voice broke their dream world.

"How...How could you!" Hermione said, her eyes filled with tears.

Harry sneered at her. "How could you? Get out of my sight. Go running back to your precious boy-who-lived and Dumbledore. I'm leaving, and there is nothing you or the Weasel can do to change that."

Ron's ears turned red. "We trusted you! And the first opportunity you get you run off with...with your old fiance! I mean, how's that for betrayal! I thought you were ok Harry, I thought of you like my brother despite everything, and now I see that the dark is….is just what everyone says." He said, and hugged Hermione.

Harry stared at him. "How dare you! You are nothing, Ron Weasley, nothing. Remember that. As for you, Granger, I hope you know that your little plan didn't work. I don't love you, and that soul bond was most likely just something devised by Dumbledore. Go away!" Harry said, drawing a protective arm around Daphne.

Hermione sobbed in Ron's arms. "I hate you Harry Potter. I HATE YOU!" And with that, she reached into her pocket, and threw the small ring at Harry, who stared at it, remembering the promises they had made to each other.

Hermione ran sobbing down the stairs of the Astronomy tower. Ron followed her closely, but not before punching Harry in the nose, forgetting magic once again.

"Out of respect for our former friendship I'll allow you to get away." Ron said coldly.

"There was never any friendship, traitor." Harry shouted after him.

Harry glared at his former friends. "How dare they! They have the audacity to...to come here and tell me that I'm betraying them? C'mon Daph. Let's go."

Daphne picked up the ring and gave it to Harry who pocketed it smiling sadly.

"STOP!"

It was Dumbledore, a pregnant Lily, James and Moody.

"You can't stop me! You manipulated me! I can't believe I fell for it!" Harry shouted at them.

Dumbledore tried to take the more diplomatic approach. "Harry, I don't know what's happened. Please, don't do this. We don't want to have to fight you!"

Harry sneered. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

Dumbledore sighed. "I guess there is no other choice. Ms. Greengrass, you will be spared if you step out of the way now."

Daphne glared at him. "I would never abandon Harry, never!"

Harry threw a stupefy, and soon the air was filled with curses. Harry soon was dueling one to one with Dumbledore, as James was unconscious from a bludgeoning hex, Lily was clutching her hand which Daphne had hit with a powerful stinging curse (not wanting to hurt her baby however), and Mad-Eye was clutching is other leg which was broken, unable to stand or fight.

Harry threw a quick wandless stunner, and then threw himself to the side as Dumbledore cast an expelliarmus. Harry then muttered an ancient masking spell designed to blind everyone in the room for 10 seconds, beside the caster and whoever he was touching. Harry wrapped an arm around Daphne, and cast the spell, which to his delight got past everyone's defences including Dumbledore's. Dumbledore realised what had happened and gave up, not wanting to unintentionally hurt someone in the room with his spells.

Lily cried out in terror as her sight was cut off. "Harry please! I swear, it was the potion! Don't listen to him! DON'T! Harry please!" She sobbed as she realised that once again her eldest son was leaving, feeling betrayed once again. "I promise I will never ever hurt you, whatever I did this time!"

Harry looked at her sadly. "It wasn't your fault this time…..Mum." And with that he climbed into the passageway.

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"So...did it work?" A nervous voice broke the darkness.

"Yes, better than we ever planned. The mudblood and Potter have been broken up...and this time for good. We even have made sure that they will fall in love with other people...using a bit of help from some love potions."

The small figure made his way closer towards the lean figure. "How did you do it?"

The taller man chuckled. "Ahhh, the wonders of jealousy and Polyjuice potion! Potter's brother was incredibly jealous of his brother's relationship with Granger. So, I just left him a few hints on how to break them up, and walla, under a carefully disguised Imperius, he and his accomplice made it seem as if Granger and Weasley had betrayed Potter. Then, the Greengrass girl, also with a bit of help from me, snuck a hint of love potion in each of their foods; Potter's keyed to the Greengrass girl, and Granger's towards the other Potter boy, Albus. Now the war is back on track, the prophecy shall never be fulfilled."

"Wonderful! My boss thanks you for your help. "

"Nobody shall ever destroy me now."

**Who is it? Hmmmm...let me give you a hint, light and dark aren't working against each other, they are working with each other...But it might not be ol' Voldie, it could be someone else...all will be revealed in due time! Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW! **


	12. Peace before the storm

**So here is another chapter….Sorry this took so long! Didn't have wifi for weeks, so I had to write this up quickly….ENJOY! **

**Don't own anything from Harry Potter.**

Hermione paced around her room. It had been weeks since Harry had left, and she still felt that hole inside of her that just refused to close. To be more exact it had been 3 weeks and 4 days, give or take a few hours. She had refused to eat and drink, only Ron, bringing up food from his trips to the kitchens did she occasionally touch.

'It just hurt so much!'She thought as she flopped onto the couch with an exasperated sigh. There was a knock at the connecting door between the dorms and went to open it.

"Hermione?" It was Albus. Hermione tried not to roll her eyes when she saw him standing there. Albus had been….sweet, well as sweet as Albus could be, but he just wouldn't get the message that she wasn't interesting in dating him, at all, never ever, especially not after the betrayal his brother had committed.

"Come in." She said wearily and stepped aside to let Albus into her dorm.

Albus fidgeted nervously. "So...how are you?" He thrust a small box of chocolates at her. "Er...Ron told me that you weren't eating much, and I heard that chocolate is the best food to cure being sad, so…." He gestured awkwardly at the box.

Hermione let a small smile form. "Thanks Albus." She took the lid off and popped a chocolate in her mouth. "Want one?"

Albus sat down on the sofa. "Nah, I'm good."

Hermione sat down beside him and ate another chocolate. Albus stared off into space. "Look Hermione, I was just wondering what's been going on with you. Does it have anything to do with Harry leaving?"

Hermione frowned. She really didn't want to talk about that at the moment. After Harry had left, everyone had bombarded her with questions about what had happened to him, and only after Dumbledore had made an announcement during dinner had they left her alone.

"Of course it does," Hermione said, slightly more sharply than she intended to be. "But I'd rather not talk about that at the moment."

Albus scratched the back of his head. "Er, of course not, no definitely."

Hermione sighed and leaned back onto the couch. "I appreciate the chocolates Albus." She said, feeling grateful that Albus cared.

Albus smiled and relaxed slightly. "Oh, by the way, I found this….Is it yours?" He reached into his pocket and fished out the necklace that Harry had dived into the lake for in the middle of the winter. Hermione grabbed it.

"Where did you find this?" She cried. She had thrown it away the day Harry had left, and immediately regretted it. She couldn't find it back after that. She cradled the necklace, and then remembering the precious memory she associated with the necklace, placed it down on the small table with a sigh.

Albus frowned. "Is it that special to you?"

"Yeah." Hermione sniffed.

"Then why aren't you putting it….oh. Harry has something to do with it, right?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah. I guess….A few years ago…." Then remembering that Albus knew nothing about her and Harry's past relationship stopped and amended "I mean a few months ago, around the beginning of the year, I lost the necklace, and Harry found it for me." She chuckled. "It took a lot of effort for him to find it again."

Albus grinned. "Well, this time I found it, so you can have a new memory...If you want that is." He said, shyly.

Hermione smiled. "Yeah...sure."

They both grinned at each other and then Hermione turned away with a blush. Albus got up with a sigh. "Well, I best be going now. Homework and stuff."

Hermione got up suddenly. "Er...I can help you if you want?"

Albus brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Albus stared at her. "My brother was a real idiot you know."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Harry was an idiot all the time. He did the craziest things."

Albus shook his head. "No, I don't think you understand. Harry was an idiot to let you go."

Hermione smiled. "Thanks Albus."

Albus shrugged. "I would never have done that. Ever."

"I just want to forget. It hurts….a lot." Hermione whispered, half to herself.

Albus hugged her. "Hermione…?" He trailed off.

"Yeah?" Hermione felt a warm hand lift her head and she found herself looking into Albus's warm hazel eyes.

"What you said about forgetting…..Well maybe I can help you."

And when she felt his lips touch hers, the ache dulled.

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_Hermione runs from the dark hooded figure. "Who are you?" She cries. _

_Harry steps out from the shadows. "Mione! Mione! Please….please tell me you know me!" He says, his heart breaking. _

_Hermione's eyes widen. "Oh my gosh….You're Harry Riddle!" She screams. "Don't you dare hurt me." _

_Harry exhales softly. "So you know who I am. Ok. Hermione you can stop the act. Who am I and who are you?" _

_Hermione glances around frightened, her wand shaking as she points it at him. "I'm Hermione Potter!"_

_Harry chuckles, nervously. "Er….we aren't married yet, love." _

_Hermione glares at him. "As if I would ever marry you! I am Hermione Potter, wife of Albus Potter. YOU on the other hand, are the lowest of scum, Harry Riddle, former Potter, married to Daphne Riddle. YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!" She screams at him. _

_Harry pales and walks towards her. "No no no nonono!" He whispers."The obliviate wasn't supposed to work that…...THAT BASTARD!" He roars. _

_Hermione shoots a badly aimed hex at him. "Don't get any closer to me." She threatens. _

"_No, listen to me Hermione, you don't understand, we both found out some very dangerous information a few hours ago. Please, please tell me this isn't an act, because it looks like someone cast a spell on you that made you forget me….as who you knew I was, putting another set of memories…..no Hermione!" Harry yells, as Hermione grabs a glowing object on her belt. A portkey. "Don't leave me please!" _

_Hermione looks at him oddly. "I don't know you." She whispers, almost as if she's trying to convince herself. _

_She disappears in a glowing flash, and Harry drops down to his knees, weeping. _

_"Don't leave me..." The whisper echoes around the empty ballroom as Harry weeps, amongst the ruined decorations. _

Harry gasped, and woke up. He glanced outside and saw the moon was full. Sighing, he lay back down in bed. He had been dreams like these for the past couple of months, and each time they basically showed him the same message; _that he and Hermione were in terrible danger. _But it couldn't be true, could it? He and Hermione were now….well enemies.

With a sigh Harry got out of his bed. 'I hate midnight missions,' He thought sourly. Harry was going on a small assignment for Voldemort, capturing an important member of the Ministry of Magic. Her name was Amelia Bones, and she was very key in the light side. Capturing her would be a huge victory for them.

Harry had returned 3 weeks ago to Riddle manor. He had assured everyone that he was in no way reconsidering the aims of the dark. He had then announced to everyone that Hermione was no longer his fiancee, and that she had betrayed him. He couldn't help but feel a little bit insulted at the relieved looks on everyone's faces when he announced this. However now he had Daphne, and they had just picked up right from where they had left of.

Harry put on his gear, and picked his wand up from the nightstand, hesitating. He put his wand in his wand holster, and then crept over to a small alcove in his bedroom. He counted the bricks….1….2….3…..4….5...6...7! He tapped the 7th brick 3 times, and it slid out, revealing a small knob at the back. Harry twisted the knob, and the alcove wall slid backwards. Harry stepped inside quickly, and the door swung shut behind him.

Behind the door was a small room. Harry had discovered it one day, purely accidental. He had been extremely bored, and was tapping all the bricks in his room, when he discovered the knob. Harry later found out that this small room wasn't detectable by any spell. It was his secret room. Nobody knew about it, not Neville, not Draco, not even Hermione.

Inside the small room was a brown leather couch, and next to it a huge bookcase. Harry often spent time in here alone, just to his thoughts, or to his books. The bookcase hosted all of his favorites, and he spent many hours often holed up in here with nobody any wiser. But this room was special for another reason. It housed a well-kept secret of Harry's. The wand.

Harry walked over towards the bookcase and slid back one book entitled 'Wandlore.' Behind the book was a seemingly smooth piece of wood that was part of the bookcase, but as Harry traced it lightly with his fingers, a small rune could be seen. The rune glowed, and Harry whispered something in Parseltongue. The rune reacted only to his DNA, or parseltongue A 5 foot long gap appeared in the bookshelf, revealing a narrow stone corridor. Harry slid down it, and soon reached the end. A small bit of sunlight filtered through the ceiling of the corridor, and as Harry looked up, there was a smallish hole that allowed some sunlight in. And there, on a shelf, right underneath the sun, was the wand.

Harry kept odd knick-knacks in this small corridor. The skylight led into Riddle Forest, and Harry had used it many times for escaping Riddle manor. On the shelf along with the wand sat a dragons claw, a thestral hair,a sneakoscope to warn Harry if anyone was coming (so far it had never lit up.), some binoculars that allowed Harry to see during the night, (nothing special, Harry just thought it might be useful) and a small backpack filled with clothes and supplies. Off to the right of the shelf sat a small packet, with the words "DELUXE TENT" emblazoned on the front. Harry never had used any of this; but he always was prepared. When he had lived in Potter manor, he had often escaped to the woods, wishing he could run away. Unfortunately he didn't know what to do or where to go, or even how to get the right supplies. When Harry arrived at Riddle manor he had gathered enough supplies to last him for a month, and stuffed it on a shelf, right next to his bed. Voldemort, however had not agreed with this idea of his, and told him to get rid of it. Harry then stashed it away in different hiding holes, until he had found this one.

The wand, however was the most important and precious thing to him. Harry had never used it before, never really feeling that it was the right time for some reason, but now he changed his mind. Hermione's betrayal had filled him with a rage that he had never felt before. He wanted to win this war. Nobody would ever hurt him again when he ruled the Wizarding World. He was, after all Voldemort's successor.

Harry opened the box, but not before wiping away a thick layer of dust that sat on the box. Inside was the wand. The white ash elm was free of the black lines that once covered it, but as soon as Harry's hand came near it, the wand seemed to glow. Harry knew suddenly that now was definitely the right time to use the wand. It was ready. He remembered the words of the mysterious wand maker. "_Until you know the truth." _Harry now assumed he meant the truth about Hermione, and the light side. Harry's eyes glowed angrily with remembrance of the love he had once held for her. Harry grasped the wand, and the black lines kept on creeping up and up the wand, until the white ash was nearly covered. Yet, there were still a few hints of the white ash peeking out from under the black, and Harry nearly gasped as he turned the wand over and saw a golden light shining suddenly, in the shape of a square. When the golden light faded, there was a short line, that was completely gold. Harry touched the line, and suddenly the world spun around him. Harry cursed, and tried to regain control of his body, but he kept on spinning. When he finally stopped, it was dark. Harry frowned. That was odd….

Harry crept out of the secret passage, and into his room, sighing with relief. He was still…..

Harry jumped back. THERE WAS SOMEONE IN HIS BED! HIS BED! HIS HAND STUFFED GOOSE FEATHERED MAGIC MADE BEST MATTRESS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! WHO DARE SLEEP IN HIS BED?

Snarling slightly, Harry crept over to the bed, his wand at the ready, and swiftly pulled back the covers. And then stood there like a gaping idiot.

The person in the bed was him.

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Hmmmm...what's going on here (wink wink I think you all know)

WHOOO HOOO finally this chapter is up besides the fact that it's been ages since I last updated. Okay so I promise that the next chapter should be up by next week, because, well I've already started writing it. If you're worried about Harry and Hermione, don't worry, HARMONY SHALL CONTINUE NO MATTER WHAT!

But for the moment, they are 'in love' with their respective partners, Daphne and Albus. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEAAAASSSSEEEEE **REVIEW! **


	13. An odd discovery and a forced decision

Harry stumbled back from the bed, making noises that sounded slightly, slightly like he was maybe just a teensy eensy little bit afraid. '_What the hell?' _Harry thought wincing as his figure in the bed moved restlessly.

He looked at the clock. This must have been…..about a few minutes before he woke up to go on the midnight mission. Eyes widening with realization, Harry quickly muttered a disillusionment spell and felt the slimy sensation. Not a minute too late, the alarm rang, and Harry, well, past Harry woke up, grumbling. Future Harry stumbled backwards to avoid himself, who brushed past him muttering something about midnight missions. Harry chuckled and then gulped when he realised that the time on the clock said 6:30. Oops….guess I overslept...a lot? Harry realised. _Wait….This could be used for to my advantage! I overslept the mission, and yet no one came to wake me….that means that I was on the mission! _Harry thought.

Harry hurried down the long corridor that led to his room until he found a secluded corner. He turned over the wand. Harry pressed it again, and soon was lifted up in the same dizzying motion as before. When he slammed down on the carpet, he noticed Greyback hurrying down the corridor towards his room. Harry gulped, and slid out from the corner. Fenrir Greyback noticeably at the sight of Harry, but silently motioned for Harry to follow him.

"One second. I'm just going to say goodbye to Daph, alright?" Harry whispered.

Greyback nodded. "Sure Harry, but hurry. We don't have that much time."

Harry watched Greybacks form fade from view, and then cautiously opened his bedroom door. There. There he, well he Harry was sleeping as peacefully as a baby. Harry grinned and closed the door silently. Then he slid into the opposite room, careful not to make a noise as he glided over the floorboards towards Daphne's motionless form.

He kissed her on the cheek. "Love you." He mumbled in her hair, which spilled out over the pillow.

Daphne opened her eyes blearily and smiled when she saw him. "Off on the mission?" She said yawning slightly.

Harry nodded, his eyes gleaming. He was about to share his discovery about the wand with her, when something inside him hesitated. '_Not yet...Not ever.' _The little voice whispered.

Daphne was watching him curiously. "Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "Hm? Oh, sorry zoned for a second."

Daphne kissed him, and Harry pulled away, realising he didn't have that much time on his hands. Daphne handed him a small parcel from beside her bed.

"A small snack, okay?"

Harry smiled, slightly confused. Daphne had never been the one to give him food. In her mind, that was a job for the house elves.

"Er...thanks?"

Daphne grinned up at him. "Now get going! I need my beauty rest. Hey, are we still up for the picnic tomorrow?"

Harry fidgeted nervously. Tomorrow was actually the anniversary of the day he and Hermione had met. He had planned just to take it easy, and try and purge his thoughts of Hermione, but now it seemed he would have to have this picnic with Daphne. Not that he didn't want to...it was just that lately Harry had felt himself longing for the old camaraderie he Hermione and Ron had shared.

Absently, he nodded. "Yeah, sure. See you then?"

Daphne yawned. "Yup. Now go kick some Ministry ass!"

Harry laughed, and made his way out of his room. Opening the parcel, he found a small lunchbox filled to the brim with homemade snacks. Shrugging off the weirdness of Daphne giving him homemade snacks, he munched on them as he made his way to the main meeting room. By the time he got there, the lunch box was empty, and Harry was contentedly thinking about the great time he and Daphne were going to have tomorrow.

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Hermione laughed as Albus told her yet another funny story about his childhood. She sighed and gazed into his eyes. Who knew that she would have found a kind of new love with Harry's brother, the very person who she had rejected for years on end?

They were having a midnight picnic. Albus and Hermione had had a rather bad row that afternoon, and she had been pleasantly surprised when he woke her up and presented her with a rather nice spread of food.

Hermione lay her head on his lap, closing her eyes with a yawn. Tomorrow was...oh god. She sat up with a bolt and Albus looked at her, rather surprised.

"Something wrong, Mione?"

Hermione winced internally as he called her that name. That was Harry's name for her. She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes to see Albus's concerned face hovering in her vision.

"Ah...it's...it's nothing." Hermione said, fidgeting with her hair. It was slightly messy from sleep, and fell in long curls across her back. Albus had mentioned that her hair was much prettier than it had been when she had been younger (Hermione's hair had grown out of it's frizzy stage) but Harry had said that either way she was beautiful.

Albus gently laid her head back in his lap. "No, I think that something is wrong."

Hermione sighed. "Yup, ok fine, you're right. And...I'm going to tell you the full story of Harry and I."

Albus's eyes widened. "There's...more?" He said, frowning.

Hermione sighed. "Yes."

And so she told him. Omitting a few details, such as Harry's power levels and him being the real chosen one, she told him their story.

Albus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "That's...that's a lot to take in. And you're saying that you and Harry were engaged?"

Hermione nodded, slightly teary eyed. "Yeah I really loved him Albus. But...it's a good thing I have you now, isn't it?"

Albus looked strangely guilty. "I just feel so bad for being a complete and utter idiot while you were together with him."

Hermione kissed him softly. "Nah, I'm glad you were. You were, after all just trying to warn me that things wouldn't end well for me. That I would wind up with my heart broken."

Albus wrapped his arms around her and Hermione leaned against him. However, it was in that moment that Hermione couldn't help but long for Harry, and Ron, and the friendship they had shared.

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Harry apparated soundlessly outside the red telephone box that was the entrance to the Ministry. Behind him Draco Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange checked the street for any unsuspecting muggles. The sky was an inky black, and Harry shivered slightly as the frosty winter air seeped into his clothing.

This was a small mission. There was a moderate force of Death Eaters waiting outside the Main Entrance to the Ministry. (The main entrance acted a bit like the Leaky Cauldron; Only the wizarding population could see it), just in case there was a hitch and Harry, Draco and Lestrange needed reinforcements.

Draco looked at Harry, confused as Harry stepped inside the telephone box. Soundlessly, he cast a enlarging spell, and Draco and Rodolphus stepped inside.

Draco fidgeted nervously, his face somber. He was obviously nervous. However, this mission decided whether or not he would get to be a Death Eater.

"You alright Draco?" Harry asked, facing his best friend.

Draco managed a weak smile. "Y..Y...Yeah, I suppose."

Harry frowned. It wasn't like Draco to get so worked up about things. He was usually cool and collected doing things that unnerved him. Harry shrugged it off.

The plan was to enter the office where Amelia Bones worked, and then use the floo to get to her house which was already linked. The name was simple, 'Bones Manor'. However, her office had many traps and spells that needed to be disabled quickly because otherwise they would trigger, alerting Bones and the Aurors that someone was trying to enter her office. The rest of the spells set on the office where unknown, but Harry guessed that they were simple immobilising charms designed to hold the intruder. However, the charms put on the office where strong, which was why they had Rodolphus with them, a master curse breaker.

Harry winked at his two companions and typed in the code for the way into the Ministry. A monotonous voice sounded through the speakers.

"Names, please."

Rodolphus and Draco both jumped at the sound of the voice, but Harry just rolled his eyes. It was pre-recorded, and the Ministry actually had no alert placed on the box, or record. This meant that anyone could enter the Ministry, at any point. However, not many people knew this. Usually they just assumed that there were spells placed on the telephone box.

Harry decided to have some fun. "Harry Riddle, heir to the dark lord, mastermind, intruder and soon-to-be kidnapper of Amelia Bones." He chuckled at the dumbfounded expressions on his companions faces.

Rodolphus also decided that there was no harm to be done. "Rodolphus Lestrange, Death Eater, Curse-breaker, and wanted criminal." He and Harry chuckled as the badge fell into his open hands with those exact words on it.

Draco, however, was obviously very tense. "Draco Malfoy." He said, shortly.

They entered the Ministry, silently and quickly. Harry cast a special light spell that only allowed the holder to see where they were going. Not that it was necessary; the Ministry was completely deserted.

Harry glared at Rodolphus, whose loud footsteps echoed through the great hall. Harry rolled his eyes. People often forgot that Rodolphus, a notorious Death Eater, was in fact, a Gryffindor. And, obviously, subtly wasn't his strong suit. While Rodolphus looked rather cocky, Draco, on the other hand, looked positively green under the soft light that their wands emitted.

Harry motioned to the others when they reached Amelia Bones's office. He motioned at Rodolphus to step forward and start breaking the curses. He cast a strong _Muffliato _over the area, and then stood by Draco.

"Hey, Draco, it'll be fine. It's just a quick mission; it'll be done in a flash." Harry grinned.

Draco's face was unreadable. "Yeah. Sure." His voice sounded strained.

Harry looked at him curiously. "Jeez, I didn't think you'd be this nervous. You'll be a Death Eater either way. I mean, come on! You're a Malfoy!"

Harry frowned as Draco shivered. Something was seriously wrong with him.

Before Harry could ask what was really at hand, he heard Rodolphus's shout echo through the Ministry. Even the Muffliato couldn't cover that. Irritated, Harry went to see what the matter was.

Rodolphus looked at him, eyes shining. "This one's a hard one to crack, but I got it. Free to go in, Harry."

Harry smiled. "Excellent." He stepped over the threshold of the office, motioning for Draco and Rodolphus to follow. He entered the office and quickly made his way to the fireplace, and grabbed some floo powder.

"Perfect, ok, I'll go first, Rodolphus second and-" Harry was cut off by a loud voice shouting-"STOP!" And the office was flooded with harsh light in every corner, illuminating the dark figures that were there.

Harry gaped at them for a second, and turned quickly to try and get out of the office. However, he found the entrance blocked by the most unlikely of people- Draco, who was holding his wand at him defiantly, without a trace of guilt or remorse.

Harry groaned. Of course they had to be betrayed by the one person Harry would have trusted with his life. Just perfect.

However, while Harry had a certain amount of Gryffindorishness in him, he wasn't all that incompetent. Harry knew he would have to act-fast and not start flourishing his wand. This required cunning.

"So...Draco, let me guess. To scared to become a Death Eater?" Harry mocked, as he stepped closer towards Draco.

A figure stepped out from the harsh light. "No, Potter, he has other reasons. Now, hand your wand over before we have to use force."

Harry snarled and looked at the speaker. "Ahhh, Ms. Bones, of course." He said, faking politeness.

Draco looked determined, but his wand hand was shaking. "I love her, Harry. And I can't be what my family wants me to be. I can't just….kill innocents!" He exploded.

Harry looked at him, with a trace of hurt in his eyes. "So that is what you think I am, Draco? A murderer? Might I remind you that I have only ever killed Death Eaters, or people who have attacked me. I have never once killed a person who didn't deserve it." He spat.

Draco's shoulders sagged. "Yes, but you don't know what it's like to love someone so much that it hurts; you don't understand the pain of knowing that you might lose her because of who you are, _because of what your family wants you to be." _

Harry felt unbridled fury- _How dare he? _"Don't I, Draco? Let me tell you one name- _Hermione_. And I loved her beyond any love I have ever felt before. And yet, that love was betrayed. It seems as if I can trust no one, and nobody." He said, bitterly.

Draco paled. "But that wasn't serious! Ginny said that you just-"

Harry reacted before Draco could finish his sentence. The entire room had been watching their exchange, oblivious to the inner thoughts of Harry. As quick as a viper he threw the floo powder down in the fireplace, grabbed Rodolphus and apparated, using the diversion of the floo powder as a distraction. However, he caught one last look of Draco's face, and it was guilt. Horrible, horrible guilt.

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They landed at the entrance to Riddle Manor, and Harry stormed inside.

"FATHER! NEVILLE! LUCIUS!" He shouted, his eyes flashing.

There was a huge commotion, and three bangs, and said people apparated into the main hall. There was obvious confusion in their eyes.

Lucius was the first to step forward. "Where's...where's Draco? Did the mission go wrong?"

Harry looked at Neville, his eyes betraying his thoughts. Neville caught on quick enough, and his eyes widened and he mouthed _really? _ Harry gave a quick nod and turned back towards Lucius.

"Your son decided that Ginny Weasley was worth more than his family and his beliefs. He betrayed us," Harry spat.

Voldemort's face grew stony, and Harry felt a brief flash of sympathy for Lucius. This was not going to end well for him.

"Well? What happened then?" Voldemort's voice was curt.

Harry explained what had happened, and then made his way up the stairs, leaving Neville to sort out an irate Voldemort and a stricken Lucius.

Just as he reached the bedroom, he heard footsteps. Harry nearly burst into the room, before he remembered that at the moment, his past self was about to time travel. There was a loud exclamation from the room, and then all was quiet. Harry deemed it safe to go in, and he entered, flopping onto his bed, burying his face into his pillow.

What was it with him? First the Potters, then Hermione, and now his best friend, Draco. Why was he always betrayed? Harry just couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. Nobody he trusted could ever stay by his side. Harry suddenly realised his mistake. He cared, _to much. _He was too loyal to his friends, he trusted them to much. And sooner or later, they would betray it. Harry decided that he would just have to close his mind off to everyone else, to avoid getting hurt.

In that moment, Harry Potter was closer to the dark side than ever before.

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_3 months later_

Harry made his way into the study, where Voldemort had told him to wait. Harry entered, and saw Neville sitting on the sofa, reading a book. Harry grinned and pushed Neville to the side of the sofa, and sat down. Neville looked briefly annoyed, but quickly resumed his reading. Harry sighed. Lately Neville had been more distant than ever. Harry and Neville had been growing apart for months now. To Harry, it seemed as if Neville was purposely avoiding him.

Voldemort entered the room, and with a hastily muttered '_incendio!'_ a merry fire was crackling away in the hearth. Harry leaned back with a sigh, and let the warmth wash over him.

"So. What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Father?" Harry said, curiously.

Voldemort grimaced. "Ah, yes that. Well...To put it bluntly…." He seemed at a loss for words.

"What Father is trying to say, Harry, is that we want to you marry Daphne, preferably within the next month." Neville said, briefly looking up from his book.

Harry stared at them with undisguised horror. "What?" He managed to choke out.

Voldemort looked slightly relieved that Neville had said it. "Well, when you were captured by the Order of the Phoenix, I realised that while you are a very powerful wizard, you are not infallible nor immortal. This got me thinking. I might not always be around, Harry." He winced slightly, but his red eyes bored into Harry. "Even in the unlikelihood of my death, there needs to be an heir. So, that means that the line must continue. Harry, you need to marry Daphne, to produce an heir, and to get the Greengrasses firmly on our side, because as you know, they have remained neutral for quite some time. With the Greengrasses on our side, that means that we have more financial support, more weight in the Wizengamot, and more people aware and following my cause. Your marriage to Daphne could be the turning point in the war."

"But Father! I've only been dating her for-what 5 months? I knew Hermione for about 6 years before I-"

Voldemort cut him off. "Yes, and she betrayed you. Harry, you love Daphne, don't you?"

Harry nodded mutely. This was very out of character for Voldemort, but he could be very persuasive when he wanted something.

"Well, then what's the problem? She's more than willing to marry you! And like I said, with this marriage, many people will turn to our side. The Greengrasses have always been notoriously neutral in every war. The only war in which the turned, and to the light side, was the winning side."

Harry searched Voldemort's eyes. " I'm only 17! I can't...I can't just….GET MARRIED!" He burst out.

Voldemort laughed, chillingly. "When I was your age I already had 17 people pledged to me, branded with the dark mark. Is that hard to get married?"

Harry ran a hand through his messy locks, and turned to Neville for support. "Nev, can you at least see my point here? I'm 17 years old, I can't just go and get bloody married to a girl I've only been dating for 5 months! I mean, what if you just suddenly had to get married to Luna?"

Neville looked at him, sincerely. "Harry, we pledged ourselves to the dark side. And we must do whatever we can to win this war. Marrying is the least you could do."

Harry bristled. "Are you saying I haven't been doing anything?"

Neville backtracked. "No, no…" He trailed off.

Voldemort stood up. "Harry, as far I as I can see, this conversation is over. You will propose to Daphne tonight during whatever you have planned, and will be married in two weeks. It's time for this war to be over, Harry."

Before he left, he shoved something into Harry's hands. He opened it and saw Salazar Slytherin's wife's own engagement ring winking up at him, the diamonds and emeralds giving it a magnificent look. Harry sighed. He had been manipulated once again.

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Harry led Daphne outside onto a balcony, where a table for two was set. They were currently at a very fancy restaurant; a favorite of Daphne's. However, Harry wasn't to fond of the overly posh atmosphere and food.

He thanked the waiter, and they both sat down, Harry fiddling with the ring in his pocket. Daphne smiled at him, and cleared her throat.

"Rid, can you just go check to see if I left anything by the front? I'm sure that my wand is in this bag, but I just can't find it."

Harry nodded, and quickly walked to the front of the restaurant, finding no wand, but appreciating the time to clear his head. How could he get married at only 17? When he proposed to Hermione, he meant for them to get married after the war, which in his mind wouldn't end for another few years. By that stage, they would have been older and more mature, and more _ready _for that type of commitment. And here he was, proposing to a girl that he had broken up with because he didn't want to marry her. How ironic.

Harry took out the ring and stared at it. Maybe he could somehow get around this. Was he in love with her? Harry didn't know the answer to that. He liked her, yes but there wasn't that feeling of unrequited love that he had had for Hermione. But, that was just probably the nerves. Most of the time Harry felt as if he would willingly sacrifice his life for her. Harry shook his head. Just the other day he had daydreamed about getting married to Daphne, and now, here he was dreading the moment!

Harry took a deep breath and stepped back inside. He was going to do this! It was for, after all, the greater good.

"Sorry love, wasn't at the front." Harry said, as he sat down and took a sip of his chilled water.

Daphne grinned at him and waved the said wand in front of his face. "Haha, sorry about that. I found it just after you left."

Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled. They ordered food and made small talk. Harry found himself enjoying the light banter they had, and it made the knot in his stomach un-clench slightly. _I can do this. _He thought.

Towards the end of the dinner, Harry asked if Daphne would want to come with him to walk around the beautiful rose garden that surrounded the restaurant. She accepted, and Harry gulped nervously. They reached a small secluded spot where a small waterfall trickled peacefully, and watched the magnificent sunset.

Harry didn't like the rose garden that much. It was just a bit too showy and impersonal to do the proposal in, but he knew that Daphne would love it. So, as she turned around on the bench to see the roses behind her, Harry slid off the bench (almost bonelessly) and in one smooth motion dropped down onto one knee. He gulped, and cleared his throat. Daphne turned around and gasped when she saw the magnificent Slytherin ring glittering right in front of her.

Harry cracked a smile. "Daphne. You healed my heart after I was betrayed by the person that I trusted the most. So, I ask you this question in hope that you feel the same way. I am nothing without you Daph. Will you become my wife?"

Harry grinned as Daphne nodded wordlessly, and slipped the ring onto her finger. All worries about getting married slipped out of his mind as he kissed his now fiancee on the cheek.

However, that night, Harry wondered why on earth Hermione's face had flashed before his eyes as he slipped the ring onto Daphne's finger.

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Draco Malfoy entered the meeting room for the Order of the Phoenix, ashen faced. The order as one, turned around to meet him.

"Well?" Ron Weasley said, slightly impatient. "Did you get him?"

Draco lowered his eyes. "No."

The entire room sighed as one. "But why not? You knew he was going to be at the restaurant, with Daphne Greengrass. Why was it so hard?" Albus Potter said, his hazel eyes full of distrust for the Malfoy heir.

Draco fidgeted nervously. "Look, this isn't easy for me, ok? I had to betray my best friend, and now I'm being asked to capture him? This isn't what I signed up for, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore twiddled his thumbs absentmindedly. "I know, Mr. Malfoy. But sometimes we must do things that break trust with one, and gain trust with another."

Ginny stood up and kissed Draco on the cheek, seeing that he was getting slightly annoyed. "But I did find out some other things while I was there." He said, grim faced.

James looked at him curiously. "Well? What is it?"

Draco turned away from the table. "Harry's getting married to the Greengrass girl. Daphne."

The entire room exploded. Hermione sat in the middle, pale as a ghost, her eyes misting over slightly. Albus muttered comforting words to her, and she immediately cheered up, her face regaining a bit more color.

James turned to Draco. "Oh? And why is that then? Surely Harry wouldn't move on that quickly." He said, referring to Harry's break-up with Hermione.

Draco sighed. "I don't think he wanted to. While he might be very much in love with her," he stopped and glanced at Hermione."He doesn't want to get married so young and so soon. But I know the true reason behind this alliance. There are several, in fact. First of all, as you all know, there is the fact that the Greengrasses, a very influential family, have remained neutral throughout this entire war. Harry rejected getting married to Daphne the first time they proposed it, and this caused a rift between the two families. However, with Harry back with Daphne, their alliance could change the tide of the war. With the Greengrasses on the dark side, it could seriously impact people's way of thinking. The only time the Greengasses have ever sided with a war was in 1892 during the Squib and Muggleborn Riots, in which they joined the light side which was in favor of not exterminating all Squibs and Muggle Borns. The light side won of course. So you can see how drastic a change it would be if the Greengrasses sided with the dark side."

The entire table had gone silent. Draco ran a hand through his hair and continued. "Also, Voldemort wants an heir. He has Harry, but Harry's capture made him realise that it could so happen that Harry could die during battle, leaving him with no heir that he would have preordained acceptable. He has already deemed Neville unacceptable to produce an heir, as he is marrying Luna, a rather strange girl who Harry rescued in the woods when they were both 12. Luna is a bit...odd and not nearly dark enough."

Dumbledore's eyes were dark and uncertain. "There is another reason, isn't there, Draco."

Draco gulped. "Yes. When I was young…." He closed his eyes and continued. "When I was young….

_Flashback_

_Young 9 year old Draco ran through the halls of Malfoy Manor. "You can't catch me now, Nev!" He crowed victoriously. _

_He suddenly heard footsteps behind him, and a quick check made him realise that it was, indeed Neville , who was gaining on him, and fast. Draco gulped, and ran down the twisting halls of Malfoy Manor, quickly getting lost. He stepped into a room, listening for Neville's footsteps which soon came, and passed the door, leaving Draco in the room, uncaught. He heaved a sigh of relief, until a rather ethereal voice stopped him. _

"_Hello, Draco Tiberius Malfoy." The voice said, calmly. _

_Draco shrieked and turned around, wand pointing towards the person. "Who...who are you?!" He said, his voice still shaking. "Why did you give me such a shock?" _

_The girl smiled serenely. "My name is of no importance. And I just want you to know that you should hide in the wardrobe, otherwise the Dark Lord will catch you in here. And he won't be pleased." _

_Draco gulped, and listened for footsteps. Sure enough, he heard light gliding footsteps, and a telltale hissing noise. He jumped into the wardrobe, and just as he did, the door opened, and the Dark Lord stepped in. _

_Draco had never really liked the Dark Lord; but then again, who did? But unlike his father, Draco did not believe in or worship the Dark Lord. Draco didn't see the problem with Muggles and Muggleborns. In fact, Draco quite admired Dumbledore, but saying that would mean certain death for him. Whenever Draco had tried to tell his father what he felt, he was quickly shushed and glared at. So, Draco harboured his concerns in private. _

_The Dark Lord studied the girl. "Well, do you have the prophecy?" He said, his voice smooth and dangerous. _

_The girl raised her chin defiantly. "I do. But you have to let me go home afterwards." She said, her voice trembling. _

_The Dark Lord smiled, a rather sinister smile. "Of course, dear child." He said, his red eyes gleaming. _

_The young child took a deep breath and began. Her eyes shone with bright tears, but she talked without a tremor in her voice. _

_**Prophecy already made, **_

_**Life already chosen, **_

_**The Dark One has made his path, **_

_**The Light One shall suffer, **_

_**His right to happiness destroyed**_

_**By the one who pretends to care. **_

_**The Light One shall face turmoil and eventually choose to live a life of darkness, **_

_**But upon meeting his one love, **_

_**He shall defeat the deceiver, **_

_**But only when he accepts the betrayal and hurt that has caused him so much pain, **_

_**The Light One shall be deceived one more time, **_

_**And believing that it was his soul-mate, **_

_**He shall bond with another, **_

_**Creating life that will carry on the line **_

_**It shall endanger all he cares about. **_

_**He shall find out the truth **_

_**And avenge all that deceived**_

_**A brotherhood shall fall **_

_**Sacrifice shall be made **_

_**In the end, good shall succeed, **_

_**As long as he learns to love once again. **_

_**Brother betrayed, **_

_**Love lifeless, **_

_**Closes his heart to others,**_

_**The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, **_

_**Born as the seventh month dies, **_

_**Born to those who have thrice defied him, **_

_**The Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal.**_

_**Merlin shall rise again. **_

_**Light and Dark Shall Emerge as Grey **_

_The girl finished her prophecy slightly shaky. She looked up defiantly into the Dark Lord's eyes. "Now may I go?" _

"_Of course." The dark lord muttered silkily. "But first...__**OBLIVIATE!" **__He roared. The girl slumped to the ground, and the Dark lord waved his wand, and the girl disappeared. _

"_Now...I must find out his soul mate….stop him from meeting her….and then marry him off to someone else. Then I shall rule forever, with no one able to defy me." The Dark Lord said, with a cruel smile on his face. "He will run away soon, I am sure of it, with Neville already here. That potion should be doing it's work..." The Dark Lord swept out of the room, leaving a shaking Draco who knew now that his very life was in danger. _

_He thought he would never see the young girl again. But he did. A year after Harry ran away from the Potters, a young girl was introduced to their household. Luna Lovegood. The same girl who had told the prophecy. _

_End Flashback_

Draco looked at the grim faces around the table. Hermione's face was deathly pale. Draco cleared his throat.

"And that's not all. I have reason to believe that Daphne Greengrass is using love potion on Harry to keep him by her side."

The entire room exploded with sound.

**Soooo...the order knows! How will Hermione react...hmmm (evil cackle) Daphne and Harry aren't over yet! Next chapter will include more fighting **


	14. A changeable road

**Hey so sorry this has taken so long, I kind of had to reassess where I was going with this story and come up with another lovely plot I loooove those plot twists. Yeah, I know 6 months is kinda long, but like I said, the story wasn't going where I wanted it to. ANYWAY….**

**In response to a certain TAILISH person, I want to clarify something too all you lovely people reading this story! Ok, so if you are confused, let me just say; HARRY'S WAND IS NOT THE ELDER WAND. I never said that it was, and I definitely didn't make it seem as if it was. No, Albus Dumbledore is still in possession of the Elder wand, Harry's wand was the secret one he got in the wand shop. Remember? He never told anyone about the wand, and instead used another wand, one that also worked perfectly well, the crystal tree wand. **

**ANYWAY- Enjoy this chapter, and remember, Harry and Hermione WILL end up together, no matter how hard it is for them. NO MATTER WHAT! HOWEVER..Gosh I'm really bad at this little note stuff I just can't stop myself from talking and talking and I know that if I keep on talking I'm going to give away some major spoilers **

**By the way I have no rights to Harry Potter at all. :( Darn it. **

**-Threstrals101 **

Harry sighed and fiddled with his bow tie. Neville stood by his side, grinning cheekily at him.

"Sooo? Is this the one? Is this the bow tie you will marry Daphne in? I must say, that blue really compliments your eyes." Neville said, a hopeful look on his face.

"Eh...I don't know…." Harry moaned. Neville's grin disappeared and he growled. He then ripped off the offending item, the bowtie, and threw it carelessly to one side.

"WHAT THEN?" Neville said, nearly hysterically. "WE'VE GONE THROUGH 45 BLOODY BOWTIES, AND 50 DIFFERENT TIES! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THEM!" Calming himself, he pulled out his wand. "Ok, here's the ultimatum. You pick one of the ties or bowties whatever I don't really bloody care, within 5 minutes, or I will hex you so bad that you won't be able to attend your wedding without a wheelchair. 1..2...3….GO!" Neville roared.

Harry rolled his eyes and casually picked up an emerald green tie. He scrutinized it, posed quickly, and grinned at Neville. "This one!" He said, laughing at Neville's red face.

"That one?" Neville said, dangerously quiet. "THAT ONE? THAT WAS THE 1st ONE!" Harry, quickly ran out of the room, laughing as he heard Neville's enraged scream.

Stumbling over a fold in the carpet, Harry almost didn't notice his wife-to-be standing in front of him, an amused look on her face. "Hi Daph!" Harry said, an innocent smile on his face. She wasn't fooled and promptly whacked him on the top of his head as she passed by.

"OW!" Harry exclaimed. "What was that for?"

Daphne laughed. "Ok, you overgrown prat, here's the rules. You go out and do something, I don't really care, BUT no matter what do not enter the drawing room. I am trying on my wedding dress, and as the old rules state, it's bad luck for a groom to see his bride in her wedding dress before the actual wedding." She grinned. "Oh, and by the way, Nev wants to have a bachelor's party with you tonight. He's getting together the old gang, you know, Dra-...Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle and Theodore." Harry noticed how she uneasily skipped around the name Draco. She turned to move towards the drawing room, but turned back, as if having another thought.

"Oh, and by the way, my stuff is being moved into your room, as of right 't try to control what goes where, I've given Pansy direct orders to completely ransack your room. Sorry Rid, but some of that stuff just has to go! I mean really, the junk I found! A parachute? " She chuckled and continued into the drawing room.

Harry stared after her, his mouth agape. 'What just happened?' He thought. Then another thought came into his mind. 'MY ROOM!'

Harry bounded up the stairs and burst into his bedroom. There were a few people in there. Harry stood in the doorway, completely bewildered. Then he spotted something that made his temper explode. In the midst of all the cleaning out, was a small little picture frame, trampled on the floor. It was a picture of him and Hermione when they had been 13. She had given it to him for his birthday, having painstakingly made the frame herself, by carving little symbols on the wooden frame, without magic. Harry treasured that gift, and it happened to be one of the only pictures he had left of her. He picked up the little broken frame and glared at the 'redecorators.' Then he ran out of the room and into the forest, his hands cradling the little picture.

"I need to get out of here." Harry muttered. He was to young to get married! It might help the war and all, but he didn't want to get married after only a few months of dating, and at the age of 17 no less! Harry knew that if he didn't get out of here right now, he would say some things to people that he would definitely regret.

Harry turned on the spot and apparated to the first place that came to mind.

Granger Forest.

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"Welcome home, darling!" Hermione's mother trilled as she walked into the kitchen. Hermione smiled brightly and hugged her mother.

"Hi mum." She said, inhaling the warm scent of home.

"I thought the train arrived later, your father was going to come pick you up!" Her mother said, a small little frown marring the evident happiness that showed in her eyes. Hermione had been very withdrawn during her visit to her parents at Christmas, and her mother liked the fact that a month ago her letters had become more lighter.

"Oh, it's nothing mom, I apparated….I can use magic now….Remember?" Hermione said, smiling.

Hermione's mother gave a small nod of the head. "Ah yes. Magic. Silly me." She turned around briskly and busied herself in the kitchen.

"What's wrong mum?" Hermione said, wondering why her mother had such a reaction to her apparating.

Mrs. Granger turned around, placing both palms on the counter in front of her. "Nothing darling it's just that….Well I'm a bit concerned about this magical war that you've been telling me about. Is it really safe for you to be out there?"

Hermione sighed. Now that was a subject she definitely didn't want to delve into. "It's fine mom, nothing serious. You know I would tell you if the family was in serious danger, don't you?" Hermione said, hating herself for the lie.

Mrs. Granger turned back around. "Ok darling, but please be careful. I know we can't block you off from this magical world now, as we would have done in the beginning if we had known about this war, but just try to be careful. Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry but your father and I will be out for a while tonight, you know some dinner he has. Is that ok darling?"

Hermione gave a weak smile. "That's fine mum, I'll just watch some television, read a few books, the usual."

_2 hours later. _

Hermione looked outside at the rapidly darkening sky. She smiled, and remembered that at times like this she used to wait until her parents were in bed and then sneak out to meet Harry, on what they called 'midnight adventures.' They used to go scouting around Granger Forest for unicorns or centaurs, which there were surprisingly many of. Hermione had never expected that the little forest her parents had inherited would contain so many magical creatures.

With a sigh she wandered over to the large window that dominated one side of the living room. The moon was out, she noticed moodily, and the forest would be full of fascinating animals. 'Eh, why not' Hermione thought, and grabbing her wand, she opened the sliding door and entered the back garden.

Casting a quick lumos she observed her surroundings as she unconsciously made her way to the small clearing that she and Harry always met up at. Everything had been so simple back then. She and Harry were best friends, and that was all that mattered. And when Harry had come to Hogwarts, Hermione had had the best several months of school. She, Ron and Harry had been the perfect group, the best of friends, not paying attention to the restrictions that were light and dark.

And then _she _had come.

And when Harry had told her about his ex-girlfriend coming to Hogwarts, Hermione hadn't really given it a second thought. She thought that Harry loved her, and that nothing could come between them. How wrong she had been.

Hermione sat down stubbornly on a tree stump. With a small intake of breath she realised this was where she and Harry had often met. With a gasp she realised that it was a blue moon. With a rather longing sigh she wished Albus where here. To be honest, Albus was quickly becoming a very important factor in her life, and Hermione was...smitten. Well….Apart from the fact that she couldn't get Harry out of her mind half the time.

Suddenly she heard a loud POP! Suspecting apparition, Hermione pulled out her wand, expecting sudden jinxes to fly her way. Albus had warned her, as the 'boy-who-lived girlfriend, she might be in serious danger. From, you know, obsessive fangirls and such.

However, instead of the said jinxes, all Hermione heard was a loud curse, followed by many other expletives, some of which made her blush. "Who's...Who's there?" She called, cursing her voice for sounding so uncertain and shaky.

The cursing stopped, and all Hermione could hear was rather heavy breathing. Even more scared now, she cast a lumos.

"Hello Mione."

Hermione yelped at jumped backwards as luminous green eyes and eternally messy hair emerged from the dark. She held out her wand, her hand shaking.

"Stay back or I'll...I'll curse you!"

An odd looking wand emerged in from of Harry. Hermione frowned. That wasn't Harry's wand.

Harry, noticing her frown directed at his wand, chuckled. "Oh, this. Yeah, I got a new wand. No big deal." He stared at her intently. "But I really want to ask you something Mione."

Hermione scowled. "Don't call me that!"

Harry smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. "Ok, **Her**mione. I have a question for you, and since there is no one here, except you and me, why, why did you betray me that night? Why did you and Ron prey on my worst fears, when I told you I was leaving?"

Hermione stared at him, her mouth wide open. "Excuse me?" She said, disbelief colouring her words. "_Excuse me?" _Rage was growing with her every word. "YOU BETRAYED ME YOU LIAR!" She yelled at him.

Harry's eyes flashed. "No I didn't! I met you in the room of requirement and you practically told me that Albus was better than me!"

Hermione launched herself at him. "YOU KISSED DAPHNE! You used me!"

Harry yelled at her. " I ONLY KISSED HER BECAUSE I WAS ANGRY! AND LOOK WHERE THAT GOT US? ME MARRYING HER TOMORROW AND YOU STUCK WITH THAT STUPID GIT WHO UNFORTUNATELY SHARES MY DNA!"

Hermione yelled back. "I LOVE ALBUS!"

Harry glared at her. "YEAH WELL I LOVE DAPHNE!"

For a split second, the both just stared at each other. In the next second, they were kissing, sweetly, and everything seemed right in the world.

Harry mumbled. "Mione I'm sorry!"

Hermione's face was wet with tears. "Yeah, well I'm sorry to. We've been stupid, haven't we?"

Harry stopped kissing for a second, just to speak. "How could we let this break us up?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't care Harry. Kiss me, because tomorrow you're getting married and I'll be stuck with your brother, fighting against you."

Harry's expression suddenly grew dark and worried. "Then let's run away."

"I'm sorry?" Came Hermione's bewildered reply.

"Let's run away." Harry said, his expression growing more convinced by the second. "This isn't our war, we don't support it. I don't care anymore, not when I'm with you. We can go anywhere, take new identities, start our lives over! All my life I was expected to support someone or something...but I just don't care anymore. I have you again, and that's all I need."

Caught up in the whirlwind of the moment, Hermione took one look at Harry, and made up her mind. "Didn't I once say to you I'd follow you anywhere?"

Harry kissed her gently. "I love you." He said, chuckling. "I better go-break up with Daphne-collect supplies-well escape in general." He said, turning to go. He was about to apparate away, before Hermione caught his hand and pulled gently.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Stay."

Harry stared at her quizzically. "I'm-I'm sorry?"

Hermione winced at how nervous she sounded. "Stay with me tonight."

Harry approached her cautiously. "You mean-as in-stay, stay?"

Hermione transfigured the leaves into a blanket, and sat down, patting the space beside her. "I-want you to stay tonight. As in- urgh this is frustrating!" She said, blushing slightly.

Harry laughed deeply. "I understand you. But are you sure? I mean we've been apart for a month, and we're caught up in the moment-"

Hermione squeezed his hand. "I'm sure."

Kissing her softly, Harry blushed. "Well...ok."

The moon twinkles softly above them.

**So this is pretty short, but the next chapter is hot on it's heels. It's already done. I'll post it right after this one. **


	15. Time goes on

**IF THE WORDS HARRY, NEVILLE AND TIES DO NOT RING A BELL, THEN GO BACK A CHAPTER. YOU PROBABLY MISSED THE LAST ONE WHICH WAS POSTED RIGHT BEFORE THIS ONE**

**Enjoy! **

**Granger Forest, approximately 2:01 AM **

"_Hermione! They're coming!" _

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

**2:10**

" _Father What are you doing…?" He steps protectively in front of Hermione, shielding her. _

"_Obliviate. You shall remember nothing of this night…. Fide Riddle. Your alliances are once again towards me. Now, for the girl…." _

XXXXXXXXX

**2:11**

"_Kill the girl. We cannot take any risks." _

_XXXXXXXXX_

**2:15**

"_Harry!" _

_XXXXXXXXX_

**2:30 **

"_Get her!" _

_XXXXXXXXX_

**2:35 **

"_Don't let him get away before the wedding…."_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

**3:00**

"_She's gone sir-" _

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

**3:05 **

" _He left me…." Whispered Hermione and she turned back to her house, a tear glistening on her cheek. The little clearing's midnight magic was gone. _

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

And that was it.

_This _was it.

Harry stared at the gold band that sat on his ring finger, gleaming away. It sparkled in the light, the heavy gold creating an unfamiliar feeling on his finger. Harry twisted the ring, and glanced around the room for Daphne. _His wife. _It all was so strange, having a wife. An hour ago, he had been laughing and joking with Neville. The night before was a complete blank; Neville had told him that he had got rip-roaring drunk which would explain why Harry had woken up with a headache that felt as if his head had been split open. But after a few hangover charms, he had been ready to go.

When he and Daphne had stood in front of the priest, their hands bound with magic, Harry had felt a strange kind of panic. He wanted to get out, he wanted to run. Daphne's eyes were glistening with happy tears, and she looked radiant, but Harry wanted nothing more than to run anywhere away from this roomful of people….he felt trapped almost. But he knew that he loved Daphne...didn't he? And his loyalties were with his father- with the Dark side. He had to do this.

_Flashback: _

"_I do." Daphne said, her voice rising with a slight tremor. _

"_And do you, Harry James Potter-" Here the priest stopped. Harry glared at him. "Why are you using that name?" _

_The priest glanced nervously at Voldemort who was standing in the shadows. "I'm- I'm sorry but I must use your true name-your birth name to get you married...otherwise magic won't bind you." _

_Harry sighed. "If you must." By now the people in the pews had grown restless, wondering what the matter was. "Go ahead." _

_The priest cleared his throat. "And do you, Harry James Potter take Daphne Cordelia Greengrass as your lawfully wedded wife?" _

_There was a pause. Daphne looked at Harry, worry in her eyes. Harry opened his mouth, and yet nothing came out. _

_Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Harry managed to speak. "I-I do." There was a slight strain on his words, as the white light shone above him and Daphne, signifying their marriage, Harry felt a slight pain in his heart. _

_Daphne grabbed his hand-rather tightly in his opinion, and they walked down the aisle, smiling like any happy couple would. Except Harry was anything but happy. _

_End Flashback_

Harry had heard that Lily had recently given birth again- however while she had given birth to twins, one had been a stillborn. Harry had felt surprisingly unemotional at the news that Lily had fallen into a depression as a result. One of her sons turned to the Dark side once again, the other one preparing to fight in a war, and of course, her werewolf son. The child that had died had been her fourth son. The other twin, a girl was apparently named Nora. However, Harry couldn't help but grieve for little for his brother that died. Nicholas. That was his name. Nicholas Potter.

Neville came and sat by Harry. "Mate-it's your turn to dance with Daphne. First dance as husband and wife? Oh-and by the way Dad wants to see you in his office after the wedding. He has the portkey that will send you and Daph to the Caribbean for your honeymoon. " Neville winked.

Harry nodded, threw back the glass of champagne with one gulp, and went to go dance with his new wife, putting all thoughts of his former family out of his head.

_2 weeks later_

"Hermione-dear are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley bustled around the kitchen.

Hermione turned her eyes to Mrs. Weasley. "Hm? Oh, no I'm fine."

"Well, Ginny's in her bedroom, so if you want to speak to her…." Hermione nodded absentmindedly. She was worried….very worried. The news had come that Harry had married Daphne Greengrass...Now Riddle- or Potter. Hermione had felt as if her heart were breaking in two when she heard this.

Hermione nodded mutely, and wandered up to Ginny's room.

"Hermione!"

Hermione turned around, and saw a smiling Albus. "Albus! What….what are you doing here?"

Albus kissed her softly. "Oh, you know Ron's here at the Burrow, so I decided to visit him. And I knew you were here. I missed you. I have something really important to tell you as well." He grinned, his eyes alight with excitement.

Hermione looked into his eyes. Just 2 weeks ago she had seen his brother and promised to run away with him. Harry had accidentally apparated to Granger forest, where Hermione had been walking. They had worked things out between them, and then they realised that Voldemort was trying to split them up somehow- by ordering Harry to marry Daphne. From there, things only escalated…..

_Flashback_

"_Hermione! They know I'm gone. Quick, we need to hurry." _

_Hermione glanced at Harry who was hurriedly donning his jacket. _

"_How do you know?" _

"_I felt my mark burn. The one that he gave me." _

"_Well I guess we better get going then. Where too, o lover of mine?" Hermione said with a slightly teasing tone. _

_Harry smirked. "Well you know, I was thinking the Caribbean, or Iceland." He pulled Hermione to him. _

"_Iceland!" _

"_Yeah, I heard they have the most wonderful weather." _

"_Haha very funny. But in all seriousness, what's the plan?" _

_Harry's face turned serious. "Are you sure? You really want to run away with me?" _

_Hermione ran her fingers through his hair. "Didn't I once say I would go wherever you went?" _

_Harry sighed. "Alright. I say Florida. They have some lovely beaches there." _

_Hermione leaned against his chest. "Mmm….and we can really spend the rest of our lives there?" _

"_Yes. Forever and ever, with no more lies. If we just apparate to the nearest airport we can mix in with the muggles. Nobody'll ever know." _

"_Alas, Harry, I'm afraid we already do know." Said a voice behind them._

_Harry turned around, and beams of red flew towards them. Their wands flew into the air, and Voldemort emerged, a small army of Death Eaters behind him. _

"_Father….. I didn't expect you to find me." Harry said, his face impassive. _

"_But I did. Now, I'm afraid I can allow you to run off with Ms. Granger over here. You see, you are essential to my plan Harry, and if you go then everything will be ruined." _

_Hermione dared to speak. "Why? What have Harry and I ever done? Fall in love? Is that really a problem that you had to try and split us apart?" _

_Voldemort smirked. " There was a prophecy….a prophecy that stated that you would be the one to destroy me." _

_Harry's eyes widened. "What?" _

_Voldemort chuckled. "Yes….one marked by me. Of course, that was you. Once I realised I couldn't destroy you- I decided to manipulate you to join my side out of free will. So that there would never be any doubt in your mind. So, I slipped your parents a little potion of my invention. One that would ensure that your parents would treat you in a way that would make you miserable. That would sever all your ties with them. I used Peter, my little spy to do this." _

_Harry was shaking with rage, and Hermione put a hand to her mouth in shock. _

"_Alas, there was a second part to this miserable prophecy. It stated that if the one person that you had a….soul bond with managed to turn you to the light side" Voldemort's face twisted with distaste, " and carry on the line- well I'm sure you know what that means, well then….you would be able to defeat me. There was more- but I won't trouble you with that information." He smirked. _

_Harry snarled, and shoved Hermione behind him. Hermione was suddenly very, very scared. Because she knew how close they were to fulfilling this prophecy. _

"_You ruined my life….You were my family!" Harry's broken voice echoed through the clearing. _

_Voldemort's expression looked slightly pained, but then he grinned, a truly horrible sight. _

"_Yes- how easily to fell for that little lie. Oh Harry, you are like a son to me!" He laughed, and pointed his wand at Harry. _

"_So, as you can see, if you marry Daphne, and Hermione here is just gotten rid of, the world is practically mine. And the wonderful thing is- well, that you came so close to fulfilling this prophecy, so close. I have a little spell that will erase all your memories of this night- and return your loyalties back to the dark side. As for the mudblood- let's just say that you will never see her again." _

_Harry's face twisted. "Don't you dare hurt Hermione." _

_Voldemort smirked. "Alas, you won't really care after this spell." _

"_Obliviate! You will remember nothing of this night. Fide Riddle! Your loyalties are now to me and to the Dark side." _

"_Kill the girl….." _

"_Harry!" Hermione ran as far as she could away from the clearing….._

"_He left me" Hermione trudged up back towards her house, her head spinning. _

_End Flashback_

Albus waves a hand in front of her face. "Hermione? Hellooooo? Are you there?"

Hermione shakes herself out of her daydream. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Er….I'm fine. What was it you wanted to tell me?"

Albus takes a deep breath. "We're 17 now…..I'm nearly 18 and so are you."

Hermione's eyes widened…..she knew where this was going.

"And, there's a war going on. I might die- the Ministry has started enlisting an Army- like the muggles." Albus gets down on one knee, and opens a box with a diamond ring inside.

"Hermione- will you marry me?"

Hermione is speechless- for once.

"Albus…..we're only 17!"

Albus rolls his eyes. "You're going to be 18 soon. So will I. Come on Hermione. We might die. I love you, you love me. My parents got married as soon as they were out of Hogwarts!" He omits the fact that Lily was pregnant with Albus and Harry at the time. Albus shoves the box into her hand, and waits for her reply.

Hermione purses her lips. She doesn't love Albus, not one bit- definitely not anymore, and she never will- but she's in a dangerous position here.

"I'll think about it."

Harry gazes at Daphne, as they walk along the beach. They've been in the Caribbean for about 4 weeks now, and both are extremely tanned. Daphne's hair is tied in an intricate braid, and Harry's hair is streaked with brown. They're taking a rest before Harry has to go back to Riddle manor and begin to plan the final takeover of the Ministry.

Daphne pulls him into the water, and Harry lets the waves wash over him, enjoying the feeling of holiday. He dips his feet, languorously in the water, and Daphne splashes in the sea ahead of him.

"Come on Harry!" Daphne shouts, the water glistening in her hair. "The water is heavenly today! Stop being a wimp!" She laughs, and wading through the water towards him, grabs his hand and pushes him into the water.

Harry grins evilly. "Oh, you should not have done that." He then tackles her into the water, and gives her a chaste kiss on the lips, saltwater filling into his mouth.

"Harry…" Harry pulls Daphne up, and sees that her eyes are alight. "I've got some exciting news."

Harry frowns. "Oh… Is it bad?"

Daphne laughs, and grabs his hand again. "No- this is the best news in the entire world!"

"Well tell me then!" Harry gazes at her face- drinking it in. Her blue eyes sparkle, and her hair is nearly white from all the sun. _She's beautiful. _He thinks.

Daphne suddenly looks nervous.

"Harry…..I'm pregnant."

Harry stares at her, speechless.

"How….how did…."

Daphne rolls her eyes. "Harry how do you think?"

Harry blushed crimson, but then an elated look crosses his face. He grabs Daphne, and swings her up in the air. "I can't believe it!"

Daphne kisses him. "Yes, well believe this. I told the Dark Lord yesterday- he's bought us a small cottage just inside of the Riddle Manor wards. It's the sweetest little thing, Rid. A thatched roof, 3 bedrooms- the master bedroom is at the top….A kitchen, one house elf….."

Harry absentmindedly listens to Daphne's babbling. All he can think about is a little baby- HIS child! Harry promises himself that he will be the best parent- better than Lily and James, and give his child the best childhood he could.

17 years old…..Harry muses. He'll be turning 18 in a month or so…..But there is a flicker of annoyance at the fact that they're so young.

And the fact that whenever he thinks of his unborn child, it doesn't have emerald eyes and blonde hair with Daphne's nose- no.

He thinks of a child with emerald eyes and brown bushy hair with….Hermione's nose.

Hermione stares at the muggle pregnancy test.

"I'm….I'm pregnant….." She whispers in horror. Tears course down her face. Her life….her plans…..She's pregnant…..Hermione's hand starts to shake. She exits her bathroom, and sits down on her bed.

The diamond ring sits on her table, and it flashes when the sunlight hits it. It catches Hermione's eye, and she drops the pregnancy test on the floor, and grasps the diamond ring. She wipes the tears away from her face, and a plan begins to form in her mind.

Nobody will ever know that she is carrying Harry Potter's baby. No, they'll all think it's Albus's….even he will.

Hermione wipes her tears away, looks down at the box. She gets out of her pyjamas, and puts on summer dress, and smooths her hair, covering her red-rimmed eyes with makeup.

She traipses down the stairs, the box clutched tightly in her hand.

"Albus?" She calls, and then she sees him outside, sitting on a swing.

She wanders outside, the sun shining brightly. Albus sees her approaching, and grins nervously.

She gives him the box, and pushes her love for Harry into the very deepest corners of her heart- never to think about it again.

"Ask me again." She says, sniffing slightly.

Albus nervously opens the box.

"Mione….Will you marry me?"

Hermione grins. Though her mind is in a turmoil, she says one word that will change everything.

"Yes."

She leans in to kiss Albus, and the plan begins to take action. She lets herself be caught up in Albus's eyes. She lets herself be caught up in the preparation for her wedding which now must take place within a few weeks- after all, nobody must know that she is pregnant with Albus Potter's baby- not until after the wedding.

Dreams for a baby with black hair and emerald eyes are pushed into the very recesses of her brain….and when she notices that her champagne smells suspiciously of Harry _(grassy meadows, rainstorms , quidditch leather, slightly burnt toast) _\- and that Albus has furtively slipped a little heart-shaped vial back into his pocket- she doesn't care. She downs the champagne in one, and soon begins to forget the green eyes that haunt her dreams. Instead she now smells Albus in her champagne _(woody fires, expensive cologne, rivers, hot chocolate) _\- and the love potion settles into her system and erases any other thoughts that might make her unhappy. Even though she's angry at Albus for deceiving her- she soon forgets, and instead of the white dress in her closet bringing her pain and fear, she gazes at it happily- excitedly.

Anything, anything to stop the pain that she feels every time she attends an Order meeting and hears the latest news on Harry and Daphne.

She kisses Albus with the love that she used to kiss his brother with.

Harry gazes around his home. It's a sweet little place, cosy and warm with a fireplace in the center of it all. It's got a kitchen that opens up into the living room where the fireplace is, and a study right next door for Harry to work in. There are huge French windows everywhere, and the staircase is practically carved from wood. Upstairs the master bedroom takes up the majority of that floor, and two smaller rooms reside on the end of the corridor, one already turned into a nursery, the other a temporary study for Daphne.

Daphne has designed the whole house is warm, fiery colors- his study with deep reds and creams. The study is his favorite place, with the rosewood chairs and polished desk. Harry can overlook the village here, Little Hangleton. They've designed their very own wards for this house- keyed to Neville, who is their secret keeper.

Harry loves it here. Each week, there's a new development with Daphne. They opted not to know the gender of the baby. A nice surprise for everyone- apparently there were bets among the Death Eaters for names and genders.

Harry rushes around Daphne all day long, tending to her needs. She's as big as a house now, as Harry loves to tease her.

_Only a week now. _Harry thinks, as he tenderly puts a blanket around the sleeping form of Daphne, who fell asleep on the couch. Astoria, Daphne's sister nods at him from where she is reading on the sofa. Harry has insisted that there is always another person with Daphne.

Harry makes sure that Daphne is fast asleep, before stepping through the floo network. He arrives in Riddle Manor, Voldemort and Neville awaiting him.

"How's the missus, eh Harry?" Neville says, striding forward and clasping his shoulder. "I heard you say she's as big as a house now."

Harry grins wryly. "Yeah, but don't let her hear that from you. She'll take it from me- but she'll hex you."

Voldemort tilts his head. "We have plans to discuss, Harry. It seems that our takeover of the Ministry will be a lot easier than expected. They have now protected the visitor entrance" Here Harry snorted, remembering his name tag- _Harry Potter, future Dark Lord _and then winced, thinking of how that was the night Draco had betrayed them.

"However, it seems that there is yet another entrance. We will need masses of polyjuice for this, mind you, so as soon as Daphne has given birth I need her in the dungeons brewing with Severus, Astoria and Rabastan. They're barely managing by themselves."

Harry frowns. "Father, I'm not sure that's the best idea. I read in a book that a magical pregnant woman needs at least 2 weeks of rest with her child. It's essential-"

Voldemort chuckles, a rather eerie sound. Harry found that even with his charming face and voice, there is always a kind of cold expression in his eyes. "Harry- you've got to relax slightly. Daphne will be fine, I'm sure. And she told Astoria she can't wait to be able to work again."

Harry's expression lightens. "Well...alright then."

They continue into Voldemort's study, discussing plans. Suddenly, Astoria's face pops into the fireplace. Although she pales when she sees Voldemort's face, she turns to Harry immediately.

"Harry- her water broke."

Hermione smiles weakly as she leans on Albus, as he supports her into St. Mungos.

Albus's eyes are shining. "Are you ok darling?"

Hermione fingers the gold wedding band around her finger, and kisses Albus on the cheek.

"Yeah. Couldn't me more ok."

Albus rushes her to her private room, and Hermione awaits the birth of her - _their_ child.

Daphne's forehead is beaded with sweat, and she cries out suddenly, sharply. Harry is rushing around, into his study, into the kitchen, helping the midwife who has no qualms about ordering the Dark Lord's heir around. Harry, however seems more nervous than his wife.

Harry grins at Daphne, as he hands her a cold towel for her forehead. "How are you darling?"

Daphne eyes him grumpily. "In pain."

Harry kneels by their bed and grabs her hand. "Are you excited?"

Daphne smiles weakly. "Of course."

**11:45 **

The baby enters the world, his eyes screwed up, already yelling.

"It's a girl!"

**11:50 **

"It's a boy!"

There's a soft black down on his head already, and he doesn't cry, just gazes up at the ceiling, his eyes curious.

Voldemort watches impassively as Harry holds his child, his face alight with joy, Daphne resting tiredly beside him.

Because there had been a part of the prophecy that no one had ever heard. Voldemort knew that the Malfoy boy had heard the prophecy. He'd not obliviated the boy, in hopes that he would somehow blab, and that the new prophecy would reach Dumbledore.

But what nobody knew was that Voldemort had heard the most important part of the prophecy when visiting the Luna girl while she was in captivity one day- not the day he had heard the full, edited version.

**Life will carry on the line**

**If the line is with his one true love**

**Then hope is there**

**But if the line is with the wrong one**

**Then darkness will rule for eternity**

**And the light one will be submerged forever in dark**

**Time is key, for time will determine Light's victory. **

The line had been continued, but with the wrong person. If Harry had had a child born before this one, even minutes before- well, then the prophecy would have been valid. But he didn't.

Daphne was not Harry's love. Harry had loved Hermione- would always love Hermione. She was his- Here Voldemort let a small sneer cross his face- _soulmate. _Daphne knew this, which was why she had been using love potions on him. Voldemort looked out of the window, and smiled.

He could now take over the Wizarding World without any worry. He was invincible, and he had an heir. Nothing could stop him now. He had the two most powerful wizards on his side- well apart from the old coot Dumbledore, but Harry and Neville would be great assets to his side. And- he had a family, probably the greatest asset of all. Voldemort knew that Neville and Harry considered him their '_father'. _They would willingly sacrifice themselves for Voldemort- and this was invaluable.

Voldemort looks once again at the little baby that has sealed the world's fate, and smiles.

Albus gazes at his baby girl, as he lies next to Hermione.

"This is our baby….Hermione she's ours!" Albus says, looking at the infant, and then back at Hermione, eyes full of love. Hermione feels a pang of guilt, but brushes it away. This is Albus's baby. Harry is just a DNA donator.

"What should we name her?"

Hermione cracks one eyelid open. "Hmmm….Lottie? I've always liked that name. We really should have discussed names before." She chuckles

Albus snorts. " You wouldn't hear of it, Mrs. Potter." Hermione rolls her eyes as she hears her name. Hermione Potter. She hated it at first, as it just reminded her of what could have been with Harry. But now…. She kisses Albus softly, and watches their baby girl yawn widely.

"Mmm….Ok, what about… Quinn."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "Isn't that a boys name?"

Albus chuckled. "Nah. It's for both. But I like it for a girl."

Hermione looked at her baby girl _Harry's girl _her thoughts whispered.

Would he have liked the name Quinn? No, probably not. Harry liked more classical names- always had.

But this wasn't Harry's baby, not anymore. Albus was now the baby's father -well, in name.

"I love the name Quinn."

"Quinn Potter. It definitely fits." Albus says, gazing at the baby in rapture.

"Charlotte, after your grandmother?" Hermione suggests, hesitantly.

"Quinn Charlotte Potter. The best, most beautiful, most smart girl in the entire world. My daughter." Albus says, and he has tears in his eyes as he gazes down at the baby girl with emerald eyes.

"Hmmm….Father wants his name to be Thomas, after himself. But- that's Albus's middle name as well so I'm opting against that. Besides, who wants to be named after a stuffy old Dark Lord?" Harry says, chuckling.

Daphne gazes at her son, whose bright blue eyes survey the ceiling above him. The baby yawns, and Daphne and Harry simultaneously coo.

They laugh, and Harry presses a kiss to Daphne's temple. "I love you both so much." He says- ignoring the little protest in his heart.

"What about Elliott?"

"Elliott?" Harry says, savoring the word. "Elliot Thomas Riddle."

Daphne holds the baby close to her, watching her son fall back asleep. She has tears in her eyes.

"Harry, I….Elliott is….He's our son…." Words seem to fail her, as she looks at the little boy that has completed her destiny with Harry- no more threat of Harry running away to the Mudblood. Elliott has made sure that Harry will stay with her forever- that she will be the Dark Lady and Elliott their heir once Voldemort dies.

Harry takes Elliott from her arms, and walks around the room with him. Harry - only 18 years old, now is a father. The word still amazes him. He's a father.

"Hey little buddy. I'm your dad…." Harry whispers.

Far away, the cries of Harry's other child awakens Albus.

_2 years later_

Harry gazes at the ministry triumphantly. The plan succeeded. They managed, all 250 Death Eaters to infiltrate the ministry, just using polyjuice potion- using hairs from muggles. Nobody was any the wiser, with the Ministry being so big. Harry snorts as he sees Minister Fudge struggling against the Death Eaters holding him captive. The lights side never saw it coming. It had taken lots of planning, lots of polyjuice potion and many failed attempts- but the stronghold of Wizarding World Britain- was now dark.

This was the last light area in Europe. Voldemort had mainly conquered most of Europe and Britain- but surprisingly the ministry had proved to be a hard place to conquer.

With everything under control, Harry sees Daphne arrive to help. He grins when he sees Elliott by her side, toddling around. He's 2 and a half now, and Harry's heart swells with pride as he watches his son toddle towards him.

"Daph! Over here!" He waves his hand, and he sees Daphne's face light up. Elliott, holding her hand, lets go and runs towards Harry, unaware of the hateful stares of the prisoners from the light side, that are currently sitting on the ground around Harry- all bound by chains.

"Daddy!" Elliott cries, and Harry lifts him up in the air and tosses him. "Mama says con-gwa-tu-latons!" He says, his blue eyes so like his mother's. At two, Elliot has curly and insufferable black hair. Although Harry would never say it- it seemed that Elliot had inherited the infamous Potter hair.

Daphne arrives by the two of them, and kisses Harry on the cheek, her eyes light. "Darling, who did you capture?"

Harry gestures at the 500 workers they managed to capture. About 250 of them had willingly taken the Dark Mark about an hour after their capture. Harry himself had administered a few. However, there were around another 200 workers that had escaped- and only one member of that insufferable Order of the Phoenix had been caught.

"Well, it's gone well. We've got people pledging themselves to the cause left right and center. The Order might as well give up." He scoffs.

Daphne looks at the gash on his arm, which is bleeding freely. "Harry, you idiot. Why didn't you get this bandaged?"

Harry rolls his eyes. "Ok, Daph. You get the bandages, I've got to keep an eye on this one here." He casts a disdainful look at Amelia Bones, who is glaring up at him, her mouth gagged and in a full body bind.

"Just take the mark." Daphne advises Bones. "Trust me- you don't know what they've got planned for those who remain loyal to the light." She smirks.

Harry watches his wife's figure disappear between the rows of prisoners. He kneels by Elliott, aware of Amelia's eyes watching his every move.

"Buddy I want you to stay near me all the time. It's only because Grandfather wanted you to see your first post-war area that you are here. But it's dangerous. And don't forget to thank him afterwards, alright?" Harry reminds his son.

Elliott pouts. "Daddy, he scawes me. He looks like a snake."

Harry glares at Bones when he hears muffled laughter emitting from behind the gag. "Shut it." He growls.

"Elliott, Grandfather isn't scary, alright?"

Elliott rolls his eyes, and Harry fondly ruffles his hair. "Now, how about you keep an eye on this dangerous prisoner here?" He steers his son to an unconscious prisoner, who Harry knows won't be awaking for a couple more days (a rather nasty yellow hex from Avery assured that)- and isn't at all dangerous. "Grandfather will be so pleased when he hears that you've made sure that he doesn't escape!"

Elliott's mood brightens, and he takes up watch of the 'dangerous prisoner.' He struts around the prisoner, every now and then prodding it and growling. Harry muffles his laughter- but at the same time pride fills his heart.

Harry, levitating Bones behind him, walks up to Lucius Malfoy, who is near him.

"Hey, take care of Elliott alright? I need to go and get this bandaged up." He waves towards the gash in his shoulder. "I'm also bringing Bones to the interrogation room. Maybe we'll convince her then." He looks back at Bones whose eyes are flickering towards Elliott. Harry doesn't like it.

"Yes, alright." Lucius replies, and heads over to where Elliott is.

Harry wanders in between the prisoners, every now and then recognising a few faces. _I can't believe that we won. _Harry thinks. _We were always the rebellion- the side that needed to be squashed. Now, that's the Order of the Phoenix. How the tables have turned. _He smirks. _Revenge can be sweet. _

Harry goes first to the makeshift interrogation quarters that the Death Eaters have set up. It'll take time to get the Dark version of the Ministry of Magic up and running- but Harry knows that there is no going back to the way it used to be- unless some sort of miracle were to happen.

Harry drops Amelia Bones off at the Interrogation room, and smirks as is led off. She'll be pledged Dark by the end of the day. What Bones didn't know is that her precious niece Susan had pledged Dark an hour before. Bones would surely go to her nieces side, especially when Susan's life was at stake. New Death Eaters were expendable, and if Amelia Bones refused the Dark Mark and unquestioning loyalty to the Dark, both she and Susan would be killed.

Harry then gets his wound healed and stitched. He can see Daphne working over at the medics table, healing the people who had been injured. Sighing, Harry leans back, closes his eyes and stretches his arms with a yawn. He can't wait to go home.

Opening his eyes he sees Daphne walking towards him. She gestures for him to follow, and she leads them out of earshot from everyone.

"Darling, they've spotted an Order member downstairs in the Reception." Daphne's face is pale.

"That's great! Why haven't they gotten her?" Harry questions.

"Er- well she's put up a very good defence- and the Death Eaters are reluctant to harm her." Daphne says, twisting her hands.

Harry frowns. "Surely one person couldn't put up such a good defence. I'll go down there myself and see why it's taking so long. Why do you look so nervous?"

Daphne sighs, and something in her eyes flicker. "Ok, well don't hurt yourself. " she says, skipping around his question. "Anyway, the reason they're so reluctant is because she's obviously heavily pregnant, has a two year old child with her, and will be valuable later on."

Harry sighs. "Ugh. Who is it?"

Daphne bites her lip, hesitating. "They…..they didn't say."

Harry runs a hand through his messy locks. "Ok, well I'll go get her myself." He turns to walk away, but Daphne catches his arm at the last second.

"What?" Harry says, slightly impatient.

"Well…" Daphne caresses his face lightly, and Harry shivers at her touch. Ever since Elliott had come into his life, he had never looked back at the reluctance he had had during their wedding. Daphne was the best thing that had happened to him- and Harry loved her to a point where he would sacrifice his life for her. It had all changed quickly, and suddenly- his feelings for her. But Harry didn't reflect on that to long.

"I've also got some great news." Daphne leans her forehead against Harry's, her lips brushing against his. "I'm pregnant again." She whispers, and Harry's eyes light up.

He scoops her up and twirls her around, laughing with happiness. "Daph!" Harry grins so widely that his face looks like it's about to split in two. "Another one!"

Daphne chuckles at his reaction. "Sometimes I wonder if we're too young….but then I look at Elliott and I think no. I still can't believe it either!" She grins cheekily.

Harry brushes her cheek with his hand lovingly. "I love you so much Daph. And Elliott's going to have a brother or sister- can you believe it? How far along are you?"

Daphne grins. "Well, I wasn't expecting like during our honeymoon- so I didn't really notice until about a week ago. But with the ministry capture being so close, I didn't want more to be on your mind. I'm around two months gone now."

Harry smirks and raises an eyebrow. "That was around the time of our holiday, wasn't it." Daphne smacks him on the shoulder, and Harry winces.

Having a child at 18 had proved to be taught to both Daphne and Harry who often were too immature to be parents. At the beginning, Daphne had struggled with the responsibility that parenthood brought, and Harry had been shy around Elliott, reminded of his own terrible childhood. However, they went on holidays together without Elliott, every few months- just enjoy themselves and actually live life. Harry had found that it had brought them closer together as a family, especially the first time they had their alone holiday. What was meant to be a month long holiday was cut short into a two week one because both Daphne and Harry had found themselves missing Elliott to much.

"Yes, you immature prat. Now, where's Elliott? I want him to learn some medicine names." Daphne was eager to prove that Elliott would take after her in the Healer department, rather than Harry in the more battle, strategy area. It was an ongoing competition between the two.

Harry smirks again. "Ah, yes I'm afraid that Elliott is having fun taking care of a captured prisoner. Lucius is with him. It seems that Elliott has….a natural aptitude for battle areas!" He dances out of Daphne's reach as her hand reaches out to smack him again. Laughing, Harry make his way down to the reception, muttering about how idiotic these new Death Eaters are that they can't even deal with a pregnant woman. The sight there that greets him, is not at all what he expects.

Hermione, heavily pregnant is shooting spells at a formidable pace , mowing down Death Eaters. And beside her is child with the most striking emerald eyes that Harry has only ever seen twice before.

Hermione gasps for air- but then ducks again when she sees a nasty purple hex heading her way. Grumbling she raises the barrier again- which takes out most of her strength. The shielding spell combined with a few objects, help block Quinn and Hermione from the oncoming spells.

Hermione rests a hand on her stomach, nervous. The baby inside here is at danger, with all those bludgeoning hexes heading towards the barrier, and her motherly instincts are going beserk. Quinn, on the other hand, is loving every minute of this. She cheers every time Hermione hits a Death Eater, and Hermione notices out of the corner of her eye, a man chuckling. _Oh so you think this is funny, do you? _Hermione, thinks, as she shoves Quinn out of the path of a cutting hex. _I'll show you funny. _And she whirls into action, slicing, tearing, hitting, and one by one, the Death Eaters fall. _Huh. So it's true that pregnant women's powers are enhanced. _Usually Hermione was never nearly this powerful.

Soon there are only a few Death Eaters left, who drop their wands, and get on their knees, acknowledging surrender. Hermione feels like laughing- the battle is finally over and she can get out of this god awful place and bring Quinn home and see Al and just _rest. _She's never thought of their little home in St. Ottery Catchpole as much, but at the moment it seems like heaven.

Then, the man comes into view. His face is shadowed so Hermione can't recognize him. And when he speaks, his voice is deep- familiar, but unrecognizable.

"So….Hermione Granger….Long time no see." The man says, amusement obvious in his voice.

"It's Hermione Potter actually." She shields Quinn behind her, and the girl's bravado is suddenly gone. She realises that her mother is the weak one in this fight. The power in this man is practically _radiating _into the room.

"Oh? You married the Chosen One? I'm assuming, that- and that," He gestures at her stomach, "Are his."

Hermione snarls. "Yes." She starts edging towards the open door that was previously blocked by Death Eaters.

"Oh no. You mustn't leave yet. We have so much to catch up on." The door slams shut, and Hermione can't help but let a curse slip from her lips. Glancing at Quinn, she hopes that her plucky daughter won't repeat that.

"Ok, what is this, some sort of reunion? Do I even know you? What's with all the questioning?" Hermione fires back, trying to catch the man off guard. "Jeez, it's as if we used to be friends or something, the way you're treating me. What do you want with me and my daughter?"

Harry Potter's face becomes visible as he steps from the shadows. His face has matured, and there is stubble on his chin. His once long and messy locks are now short. His hair looks as if it was gelled back, but was mussed up during the battle. And of course, the emerald eyes that feature so prominently on Quinn's face gaze at Hermione with an odd expression. "I suppose this is some sort of reunion. After all, you are my sister in law now, aren't you?"

Harry feels a bolt of rage go through him when Hermione announces that she's a Potter. Glancing at the child beside her and her stomach, he swallows the lump that's in his throat.

"Now, I don't want to fight you, Hermione dearest." He says mockingly, ignoring the way his heart seems to be breaking. "After all, one doesn't hurt family."

Hermione readies her wand. "I'll fight you, Riddle. Don't you dare hurt my daughter."

Harry's eyes flicker to the girl. "Ah…..your daughter- with Albus I presume?"

Hermione rolls her eyes- but Harry detects some sort of panic. "Yes, Albus is her father."

Harry nods again. "Ok, Hermione, I'll make you a deal. You come peacefully with me, and I won't hurt you and your unborn child. You'll take the dark mark, and we can make use for a mudblood like you." Oops. Shouldn't have called her a mudblood. Harry winces as he watches her face turn stony.

"Hmm….let me think….how about no." She says, and starts inching towards the door.

Harry rolls his eyes, bored. "Hermione, let's be realistic. Even with your enhanced powers, I can still beat you. Merlin level, remember?" He says, allowing a threatening tone to enter his voice. " You will comply otherwise you will find yourself in a very dangerous position."

Hermione sneers. "Why do you want me anyway? I'm just a worthless mudblood."

Harry's mouth quirks. "Well, you are intelligent enough for the Death Eaters. Your blood status can be overlooked. I think you could be a valuable asset."

Hermione laughs, a cold eerie sound. "Right, as if I'd ever want to work alongside you. Harry- I will escape with Quinn-" _Quinn _Harry thinks. _For a girl? _"back to my home where Albus is. And I will fight the Dark and _you _until my dying breath." She spits at him. "Do you have any idea how much pain and hate you have caused?"

Harry's tone becomes urgent. "Hermione I'm trying to help you. Look-" He takes a step closer. "I don't hate you. I've gotten over that. But they will kill you- _I _will kill you. You must understand that the only way forward is accepting the dark mark."

Hermione trembles imperceptibly. Her eyes rake over Harry, taking in the green eyes that used to look at her with such love and care.

"Why?" Hermione asks.

"Because….because I won't harm an innocent child. And it would be very hard for me to harm you. I once loved you." Harry says, struggling with his words for a moment. He flushes as he realises what he just admitted- and to his enemy after all.

Hermione laughs cruelly. "Oh, what do you think that I'll fall in love with you again or something? That we can all have a happy family like you once wanted? Wake up Harry. Just because you might still love me, doesn't mean I still love you. What, still haven't found anyone who can care for you? Your own parents found it hard to, after all." Hermione is shocked in the venom of her tone, and her harsh words. She wants to take them back...but she can't help but feel relieved at getting all of that out. Harry had never been there for her. She bows her head, so that Harry can't see the guilt on her face.

Harry's eyes harden, and his mouth pulls into a sneer. He raises his wand, but just as he is about to curse, there is a small voice behind him.

"Daddy?"

Hermione's head snaps up in shock, and she watches as a young boy, around Quinn's age steps out into the room. He's got messy black hair and sapphire eyes. Hermione's heart drops. _Harry….has a son? _For some reason, it seems like a betrayal- that he continued without her, and actually….had a child.

Harry glances at her quickly, and scoops the child up. "Elliott? What are you doing here?" He reprimands the child. "I thought you were with Mummy?"

Suddenly Hermione remembers. _Daphne Greengrass. _She thinks, bitterly. _It's her eyes that stare out from the boy's face. _

_And Harry's that stare out of Quinn's. _She pushes that thought away. Harry obviously has no idea that Quinn is his. Albus thinks that the green eyes were inherited from Lily- as Quinn's hair is an auburn color- a trait that Albus thinks Quinn inherited from him. Hermione knows that he would never suspect Harry.

"Mummy said to come find you." Elliot pouts.

Harry can't help but chuckle at how bizarrely _weird _this situation is. Here he is, talking to his son in front of the girl _he _used to love- who now is married and has children with his brother. And the fact that he's trying to keep Hermione from escaping.

As Elliott blabbers away, Hermione sees her chance. Grabbing Quinn's hand, she bolts towards the doors, outside of the anti-apparition wards. However, at the last moment, Harry sees her.

He shoots a spell, a body bind curse, but it does not hit its intended target.

As Hermione apparated away, she looses the grip on her daughter's hand which was torn away from hers.

And in a split second, destiny alters its course again and Quinn Potter is left to the mercy of the Dark Lord.

Hermione arrives, frantic in the garden of her house, checking her stomach _it's dangerous to apparate when pregnant _a voice whispers in her head. The baby- safe. Hermione then frantically checks for Quinn.

She's not there.

Hermione screams, a hoarse frightened cry and sinks down onto her knees. "Quinn!" She yells, a desperate irrational hope in her that she might be near her.

"Quinn!"

Hermione sobs desperately. Quinn is in the clutches of the darkest lord of all time….._and her father. _Hermione stumbles towards her house, tears streaming down her face.

"Quinn…" She moans again, thinking of her daughter in a dungeon cell, tortured for information. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _Hermione berates herself. _Why did you talk to him? Why didn't you just escape?_

The door opens, and Albus is there- Hermione nearly weak with relief stumbles into his arms. He holds her tight, tears leaking out of his eyes. She can feel him kissing her hair and face- but then suddenly he's gone- pulled back, holding her at arm's length, his eyes frightened and worried.

"Quinn?" The name is a question.

Hermione shakes her head, tears once again rolling down her face. Albus hugs her tightly, his own grief mixing into hers, and they sink down onto the ground holding each other tightly. Hermione can feel his relief, however that their baby _Albus's baby _her mind whispers, is still there.

Albus gently escorts Hermione back inside.

"How?" Albus is still too numb to speak.

Hermione can barely speak. "She's alive, Albus. But I met Harry-" Albus hisses, his eyes narrowing.

"And I was stupid. I talked to him, Al, I wasted time." Hermione dissolves into tears. Albus wipes her tears away.

"Mione. This isn't your fault. Quinn's still alive, and that's all we need. I'll find her." Albus is determined, a mixture of hope and despair on his face.

"He has a son…." The words are a whisper.

Albus gazes down at the broken form of his wife. Her eyes are blotchy and red, and she clutches her stomach protectively. He loves her, even when she is at her weakest and most terrible state- something his brother couldn't do.

"From the Greengrass girl?"

Hermione is a mess. "Al- it was horrible, seeing him again. A-a-and then this little boy ran in-" She sobs brokenhearted. "He was Quinn's age….." The mention of Quinn brings on a fresh wave of tears.

"We'll find her, Mione. Now, get some rest- I'm going to contact Dumbledore. I will find my daughter. And kill Harry in the meantime- the bastard." Albus growls, his eyes flashing murderously. Whoever hurts his daughter- has him to deal with.

Hermione stares at her husband- _praying _that Harry never finds out Quinn's true heritage. Because then everything that Hermione has worked so hard to hide- the odd kind of happiness she has with Albus will be utterly _ruined. _Hermione clutches her stomach- the baby this time that's Albus's and wipes her tears away.

Harry stares at the frozen girl on the floor in shock. He didn't want her, dammit! He wanted Hermione- so that he could gloat over all of her failures and show her that he never even needed her. And that he has his own family now- one without her.

And now he has a worthless girl. His niece. Albus's kid. Oh joy.

"Goddamn it." Harry curses.

"Goddamn it!" A small voice pipes up next to him. Harry glances down at Elliott, who is looking at the girl with a fierce expression.

"No, El- don't repeat that please." Harry says, sternly.

Elliott smirks, a rather odd expression on a 2 year old. "Goddamn it." He repeats.

Harry sighs. "Now is not the time Elliott." He picks his son up, and walks over the frozen child. He waves his wand, and the girl unfreezes. She screams, and tries to run away from him- but Harry sighs and quickly stuns her.

Levitating her up with his wand, he quickly walks out of the room. He makes his way towards the makeshift headquarters where he knows Voldemort will be.

"Father- small hitch in our plans." Harry says grimly, as he steps into the room. "I caught the Potter girl instead of Hermione."

Voldemort glances, curious at the young child. "Well, she can still be used for leverage, Harry. Bring her to the cells."

Harry looks uncomfortable. For some reason, as much as he wants to, he can't bear the thought of putting Quinn in a horrible cell, next to fugitives. "Father….. I….this little girl is my niece. Wouldn't it be better if we got her on our side? She could stay in a smaller apartment around here." Harry smirks at the thought of Albus exploding if his daughter thinks that Death Eaters are good. Quinn could stay at a small apartments that are dotted around the Ministry- often used by foreign ambassadors.

Voldemort taps his chin in a thoughtful way, but his eyes are blank. "Harry- Well alright then." He grumbles.

Harry grins, and then puts Elliott down on the ground. "Elliott, don't you have something to say to Grandfather? He let you come to the Ministry, after all."

Elliott shuffles forward, his eyes downcast. "Fank you." He says, glancing into the red eyes and then quickly looking down again. Voldemort smirks, and with a finger lifts Elliott's head so that he is looking into the red eyes.

"That's quite alright, Elliott. After all, you are my second heir. You must be hardened to the scenes of war early on, as your father was." Elliot nods, and then giving a small bow, runs back to his father, who picks him up. Elliott buries his head in Harry's shoulder, and Harry frowns when he feels Elliott shaking slightly.

"Why must you scare him so?" Harry asks, irritably. "And you know that he is more comfortable around you when you aren't in….that form." He motions to the bald and skeletal form of Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort sighs, and picks up his wand. Muttering in concentration, his snake-like features melt back into his normal ones. He's got a few wrinkles around his eyes now, and there are grey streaks in his chestnut locks. However, the blood red eyes gleam away.

"I am so sorry Elliott. I completely forgot." Voldemort says- mockingly. Elliott takes a small peek at Voldemort, but to Harry's surprise, shivers and looks away.

Harry sighs, grumpily, and waving Voldemort goodbye, steps out of the room, Elliott in his arms and the girl floating behind him.

Suddenly, Harry hears a cry.

"QUINN!"

Sirius Black strains against his chains, blood pouring from his head.

"Alright, Dad, you sneak in this way. Professor-" Albus motions towards Dumbledore, "You'll come with me, won't you. Mione- I want you to stay at home with Ginny, alright? You've had enough strain for one day. "

Hermione sighs. "Yes Al."

"Mum…. " Albus glances at Lily who has a three year old girl sitting on her lap. Nora is an odd one- never really speaking much. She's got limp black hair and lackluster hazel eyes. It was dangerous for her already when her twin- Nicholas died (her life had also been in danger at that point), and because of that she'd never been normal due to the twin bond that had been broken so early. "Mum take care of Hermione, alright?"

"Al- I want to come too. Sirius needs our help, just as much as Quinn needs yours!"

Albus looks at his brother- 11 year old Theodore. Rosie is standing right behind him, her face set in determination.

"I've learned lots of spells. And you know that it's near full moon so my wolf strength and smell are enhanced. Please take me with you!" Theo pleads. Rosie nods silently, not needing to say anything.

Albus sighs. "Look, Rosie, Theo- you know that you can't come. Harry won't spare you. He's already tried to harm Hermione, and taken Quinn. Sirius is also in grave danger! I'm sorry, but you two would just be a liability. "

Lily stands up, putting Nora on the floor. "I'm coming." She announces. "I want to see my son."

Albus sighs once more. His mother had been…..sad and quiet since Nicholas's death. Albus knew that she thought there was a curse on the males in this family, Albus being cursed with taking leadership to young, Harry with being forced to the dark side and a terrible childhood, Theo with lycanthropy and Nicholas with the worst of all- death.

"Mum….are you sure?"

Lily's eyes flash. "Am I sure? Of course I am! I'm not some housewife, Al. I was fighting in the war and killing off Death Eaters when you were just in nappies- don't forget that."

Albus gulps. "Sorry mum, didn't mean to upset you."

Dumbledore comes forward. "Albus, may I suggest that we confront Harry alone? You can take your invisibility cloak- I'll cast a disillusionment charm. We can take it from there. Perhaps we can try and capture his son- Elliott and use that as leverage."

Albus nods. "Yes, that sounds good. He took Quinn, so we take this Elliott." Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Hermione frown. "Well, if we can find this Elliott. So, is everyone clear on the plan?" Albus had taken on the main leadership role- Dumbledore had been getting older and tireder.

"Yes." Sound the chorus of voices.

"Let's go get my daughter back."

Harry nearly drops Elliott. He hasn't seen Sirius in years- hasn't _thought _about him in years. It was like he was erased from his mind. But seeing Sirius again brings back every single memory, and Harry rushes towards him.

"QUINN! LET HER GO, YOU EVIL BASTARD!" Sirius shouts at Harry, and Harry pulls up short, never having heard Sirius address him with such venom.

"Sirius…..it's me!" Harry says, softly. "Harry-"

Harry is cut of by Sirius's reply. "Yes, I know that it's you. Don't you dare hurt Quinn, Death Eater."

Harry's hurt is displayed clearly on his face. "Padfoot! It's me, Harry Riddle- or Harry Potter. I'm your godson…."

Sirius sneers. "Shut up, Death Eater. I have nothing to say to you." But in a flash, Harry understands.

Harry snarls, and punches Sirius in the face, once, and then twice when Sirius tries to retaliate. Sirius's face registers slight indignation and surprise, but he recovers his mask quickly as he cradles his now black eye and busted lip. Harry spits on Sirius.

"Light scum." The Death Eaters around Harry laugh as Sirius lunges at Harry again, and to Harry's indignation manages to knock the breath out of him as he tackles Harry to the ground. Harry stands up quickly, and delivers the death blow. Sirius's nose now a bloody mess, he howls and lunges towards Harry only to be held back by Death Eaters.

Eyes are now cold, and Harry motions for the Death Eater standing guard for Sirius to go away. Stunning Sirius quickly, he levitates him alongside Quinn, who is still unconscious and under a body bind. Sighing, he shifts Elliott on his shoulder who is asleep on his shoulder.

"I'm taking them both to a holding cell, ok?" He shouts to Neville, who is standing next to Luna, watching him.

Neville's eyes are worried. "Ok, mate." He pats Harry on the shoulder. "I guess this is a lesson. No one light will ever treat you well."

Harry's head droops slightly, but he marches on, making sure that Sirius bumps into as many walls as possible on the way there.

Once they reach the interrogation cells, Hary lowers Sirius into a seat, and Quinn into the other.

"_Ennerverte" _He says, pointing his wand at Sirius, and then at Quinn.

Quinn's eyelids flutter. "Wha- where am I?" She says- and Harry is disgruntled to notice that there isn't a hint of fear in her voice. _Gryffindor through and through. Albus must be so proud. _Harry thinks bitterly.

Harry, pushing his feelings aside, crouches beside the young girl. "Quinn, I don't know if you've heard of me- but I'm Harry Riddle- or Harry Potter. I'm your Uncle." Harry glances at Elliott who is sitting on the floor, not paying attention. Harry spells a privacy bubble around the table.

Quinn gasps slightly, eyes widening. "Daddy says you are a bad man."

Harry grimaces. "Yes, maybe I am- to them. But for me, your Mummy and Daddy are bad."

Quinn glares at him. "Daddy is a vewy good person. And Mummy is pwetty."

Harry stifles a chuckle. "Yes, and being pretty makes you good." Seeing Quinn's puzzled face, Harry moves on. "Anyway, your Mummy left without you- accidently. So I'm going to take care of you for a while, is that ok?"

Quinn's face is considerate, and she seems to ponder on that for a bit. "Yes." She says finally. "Dat's fine."

Harry is shaken out of his conversation with Quinn by slow clapping. Harry looks at Sirius, who is lounging elegantly in the uncomfortable metal chairs, blood dripping down his head and from his nose. Harry quickly puts a small sleeping spell on Quinn, and turns to speak with Sirius.

"Very good job Harry." Sirius says, chuckling. "I was convinced back there that you were going to kill me- your eyes literally glowed, I'm not joking." He winces as he touches his nose. "But seriously, my nose?"

Harry glares at Sirius and whacks him on the head. "That wasn't funny! I thought you hated me! And seriously- was Death Eater the best you could come up with?"

Sirius grimaces, rubbing his head. "I had other insults in mind- but seeing Quinn preoccupied me a little. And I do hate you,I do. A little. How could you do this Harry? Do you have any idea what the dark will do to people? People like Hermione, people like _your mother?" _

Harry winces. "Look, Sirius. I don't intend for Lily or Hermione to get hurt. Father has admitted that Muggleborns are essential for the continuation of magic. It's just the muggles that we don't like. We intend to enslave them-" He stops, sighing. "Look, I can't tell you everything, but it's not all bad." Harry frowns.

Sirius rolls his eyes. "Sure sure."

Harry sits on the opposite him. "Join our side, Padfoot. Please. It's been two years since I saw you…. you never once made the effort to contact me. Do you care about me anymore? I mean, jeez!"

Sirius shakes his head, without any hesitation. "I'm going to fight the dark until my dying breath, Harry. I swear. And if you have to kill me, then I will go for the light. And...if I have to kill you….I'll do that for the light."

Harry looks at him, shock evident on his face. "Wha- what?"

Sirius's eyes hold barely concealed contempt. "How many innocents have you tortured yourself, Harry? How many children have cried for their fathers and mothers because of you? How many lives have _you _ruined?"

Harry glares at Sirius. "You don't know anything." He says, thinking of all the lives he had spared from Voldemort. "You know nothing." He spits again, eyes flashing.

Sirius laughs, a bitter, odd sound. "Oh, but I know everything, Harry. I know the dark. I know the way that it tastes, it feels, it sounds. I lived with it, for 15 fucking years. I know that once you practice dark magic….there's no turning back. It's to late. Your soul...it's gone." His eyes are weary. "You aren't my godson anymore. My godson would never, ever hold an innocent child for ransom." He motions towards Quinn.

Harry swallows the lump in his throat. His eyes itch at Sirius's harsh words. "Well…..I suppose then we are enemies- aren't we?"

Sirius's face is impassive "We always were Harry. I tried to get you to our side, in the beginning. But you're dark and…." His eyes flicker. "I hate the dark. My family was dark- and they were cruel, evil people. So, to an extent, I hate you."

Harry looks at his father figure- the person who had constantly been there for him. Was he now abandoning him as well? Why couldn't his life be simpler?

"No….no this can't be happening again." Harry gasps, muttering. "Why is it always me?"

Sirius turns away from Harry. "I had hope at one point…..I thought maybe..." He doesn't continue.

Harry's eyes flash angrily. "I should have known that you would have one day abandoned me as well. If you wonder why I turned to the dark- well, it's because everyone from the light, everyone I've ever loved or cared about has just betrayed me again and again."

Sirius snorts. "Harry you are fighting for the wrong side! Voldemort has killed countless of innocents. What is so important that ties you to the dark besides your stupid reasoning of 'everyone from the light has betrayed me?'" He says, mockingly.

Harry slams his fist down on the metal table. "God Dammit Sirius! I have a son and a wife now. My wife is dark, and my son will be dark. Is that a good enough reason or not?"

Sirius looks at Elliott, his eyes uneasy. "You mean...that's your son?"

Harry sighs grimly. "Yes Sirius. That's my son. Elliott, if you even care. Elliott Thomas Riddle."

Sirius's face registers shock. "Oh god. Hermione is not going to be happy."

Harry's forehead creases. "What does Hermione have to do with any of this?"

Sirius glances at Quinn. "Nothing." He says, a little too quickly for Harry's liking.

Harry looks at Sirius, and stuns him. He was going to have to arrange for a little accidental escape. Sirius may hate Harry now, but that didn't mean that Harry was going to let him die.

Harry turns to Quinn, and sees his own eyes reflected back at him. What to do now? _

Harry floos back to their cottage in Little Hangleton from the Ministry. It's a little bit hard flooing with two children, but he manages not to drop Elliott nor hurt Quinn. He spots Daphne in the kitchen as he stumbles over, giving Daphne a quick kiss.

"Daph- please take care of Elliott." Harry says, as he hands a protesting Elliott back to Daphne. Daphne sets him on the floor and he immediately runs off to play with his kiddie broomstick which is lying in a corner.

"Who is that?" Daphne asks, eyes narrowing as the focus on Quinn.

"My niece." Harry grimaces. "Turns out Hermione and Albus were a little bit naughty at the age of 17. "

Daphne laughs, and for some reason Harry can't figure out why there is a note of relief in it. "Well, not that we were any better. What's her name?"

"Quinn." Harry rolls his eyes. "Newfangled. I hate it. I met Hermione- but didn't manage to capture her," He explains. "Hermione was heavily pregnant so I was hesitant to hurt her." He rolls his eyes. "But I did manage to get her kid, which is going to be great leverage against them."

Daphne walks over to the unconscious child who is floating behind Harry. "Hmmm….she has the Mudbloods nose." Noticing Harry's grimace at the word, Daphne rolls her eyes. "Come on Harry. It's true, she's a Mudblood."

Harry nods, sighing. " Ok Daph, I know I know. It's just that you seem to forget that my mother was a Muggleborn."

Looking at Quinn, Harry suddenly is struck with a rather vivid flashback. _Hermione's nose….my hair and eyes…..her smarts….my power….. _The wish for a child that they would never have. Quinn looked like a perfect mixture of Albus and Hermione.

"Hmm... Looks like she inherited the unfortunate mixture of Albus and Hermione's hair."

Harry snaps out of his daydream, and puts an arm around his wife's waist. Kissing her he whispers in her ear, "I wonder what this one will look like." He presses a hand lightly against her stomach. "I can't believe it!"

Daphne cuddles against him, and rests a hand on his. "Hmmm….boy or girl?"

Harry considers it. "A girl would be nice…." He muses. "I honestly don't mind Daph. But I'm sure you want a girl to dress up, don't you?"

Daphne grins. "Elliott can be a little fussy at times when I try to get him in his nice clothes. So yes, a girl would be nice."

Harry pulls away with a sigh. "I've got to get Quinn back to the Ministry. She's being kept prisoner there." His face darkens. "Hermione and Albus….. Surprise surprise." He mutters.

Daphne catches his hand as he turns to leave, and smiles sympathetically. "Darling, she's a mudblood, and betrayed you. Let her go. You've got me and Elliott now."

Harry nods, trying unsuccessfully to smile. "I guess Lily and James were right. Hate can always turn to love."

Harry wakes Quinn up when they are in the ministry. "Um….Quinn….you'll be staying here for a while." He says, avoiding eye contact with his niece.

Quinn frowns, and touches his forehead. "Your eyes are like mine." She says, her hand hovering just above his right eye.

Harry smiles, a sickly smile. He's afraid for this little girl, this strange thing. He doesn't want any harm to come to her.

Quinn yawns. "Where's Daddy? He needs to read me my magical dragon book- he promised." She pouts. "I want Daddy?" When Harry fails to answer, she screws up her face in preparation for a tantrum.

Harry panics. He's seen Elliott during one of his tantrums, and he is too tired to deal with a mini Hermione right now.

"Shhh...it's ok, I'll read you your magical dragon book." Quinn's expression brightens, and her expression calms.

"Ok!" She grabs Harry's hand, and Harry smiles oddly at the little girl who looks up at him trustingly.

Harry walks into the main atrium, where the prisoners that have joined the dark side are currently getting their marks. He smirks, as he sees Fudge being branded. So long, Minister.

In the corner of his eye, Harry notices an old man, slowly making his way towards him. The man looks suspiciously like…

"Dumbledore!" Harry shouts, and whirls around as the first stunning spell shoots towards him. Harry shields Quinn instinctively with his body, while conjuring a shield up. Then, another red light shoots towards him, and Harry ducks.

"Albus." Harry growls, and casting a smaller spell around Quinn. He doesn't want her to get hurt.

"Give me my daughter back." Albus's voice is dangerously low, and he advances, his wand held threateningly. "Don't you dare hurt her."

Harry glances towards Quinn, who is trembling. "Daddy!" She says, her eyes wide. "Don't hurt Uncle Harry!"

Albus stops in his tracks. "Quinn, honey, Uncle Harry is evil."

Harry snorts. "Thank you, brother dearest." He raises an eyebrow mockingly. "But really, Quinn likes her Uncle. Don't crush her dreams."

"Harry, please put down the shielding charm and give us Quinn, please!" It's Dumbledore this time, his eyes sad. Harry sighs dramatically, and waves his wand. Dumbledore and Albus both fly backwards.

Harry shouts for Death Eaters. "Lucius! Goyle! You are on Atrium duty! Get your arses here right now!" But they don't come.

Harry notices that a larger dome is surrounding them, preventing any Death Eaters from coming towards them.

Harry sighs. He really just doesn't want Quinn to get hurt. "Fine." He growls. "But you need to give up resistance. I'm actually advising you here. Stop fighting. You'll never win."

He lets Quinn run towards Albus. "Daddy!" She cries, and Albus grabs her and hugs her tightly. Harry grimaces.

"Is this sound proof as well?" Harry asks Dumbledore.

Dumbledore's forehead creases. "Yes?"

Harry sighs. "Right. Can you put up a good fight?"

Dumbledore's eyes begin to sparkle. "Yes."

"Well, I need to make sure that my Death Eaters think I'm still awesome, and that I gave Quinn away for a reason. So…." Harry shoots the first spell, a sickly lime green one, and Dumbledore blocks it, retaliating with sharp knives. Harry smirks. This was going to be fun.

It's an intricate dance, with Dumbledore missing death by a few millimeters, and Harry dancing on the edge of defeat at some points. Dumbledore is nearly as strong as Harry, but he's had time to prepare, and Harry is exhausted from a day at the Ministry. They're more or less fairly matched.

Harry laughs as Dumbledore sends an impressive tornado towards him. Harry lets himself be caught up in the tornado, and chuckles as he watches Dumbledore's surprised face. Using wandless magic, Harry propels himself to the top of the tornado, with a wind spell. There he is, at the top, and from there he continues his attack, with a bird's eye view and a tornado preventing Dumbledore from getting to close.

_Bad move, Headmaster. _Harry thinks. He's having more fun than he's had in ages. Neville is getting predictable- easy to beat, Voldemort won't let Harry practice against him, and the other Death Eaters are too simplistic- no imagination with their spells, and Harry wipes the floor with them. But this duel- now this is what Harry needed, as odd as it may sound. A death defying duel to let his powers flow freely.

Harry is left standing in the air as Dumbledore sends a large dissipating spell towards the tornado. Touching the ground gently, he sends a nightmare curse in Dumbledore's direction. It's a curse based on the Boggart, and Harry is surprised when the curse forms into a figure, wand pointed at Dumbledore. Harry can't see it's face, but he hears the figure shout at Dumbledore,

"All your fault!"

Dumbledore turns a sickly shade white, and Harry almost feels sorry for the Headmaster. Almost. However, the nightmare curse will keep him busy for a while, and Harry casts a spell on Albus that will let him hear what he is saying as if he was standing right next to him.

"Potter." Harry glances at Albus quickly.

Albus is a few meters away from Harry, and he jumps. Harry snickers, and then stops, clearing his throat, keeping his eyes on Dumbledore as he fights the curse.

"I'm going to take down the dome in about 5 minutes. You need to run- I'll make sure that Dumbledore is behind you, alright?"

Harry can't see Albus, but he knows that Albus is most likely looking at him suspiciously.

"Why are you doing this?" Now it's Harry's turn to jump. Seems like Albus has put the same spell on him.

Harry fidgets, and readies his wand as Dumbledore finally gets rid of the nightmare. "I...Because Quinn wouldn't survive here. No child would."

"But...you did?" Albus's voice is questioning.

Harry sighs. "Trust me, it was no picnic, and I was the dark heir- not an enemy." He winces, painful memories of long bouts of the cruciatus curse come back. All so that he could be 'immune.' "But just so you know, I wouldn't have let any harm come to her while she was in my care. But there would be only so much I could do."

Harry cancels the charm, and winks at Dumbledore. Using a surge of power, he shoots a bolt at the dome, which cracks, and comes down. Harry then blasts a surge of wind at the Death Eaters, under the pretence of trying to get Dumbledore- and the Death Eaters are knocked down.

Harry watches as Albus dashes into the nearest fireplace with Quinn in his arms. Harry nods at Dumbledore, imperceptibly, and bracing himself for the blow, allows Dumbledore to send a blasting hex his way. Harry groans as he hits the back wall of the Atrium with a thud. _Ow. Ow ow ow. As if I didn't have enough injuries already. _Harry thinks, grimacing.

Dumbledore dashes towards the fireplace, and the Death Eaters, still on the ground make no move to stop him.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Harry notices Lily Potter and Sirius sprinting across the atrium.

"Oh , shit." Harry thinks, and heaves himself up to a sitting position. OF COURSE they would have brought reinforcements. And it had to be his bloody mother.

Harry sends another wave of wind towards Lily, but knocking the Death Eaters down again. As if Albus and Dumbledore weren't enough!

Harry runs towards Lily and Sirius, who are making a mad dash across the Atrium. Dumbledore is standing in the fireplace, arms outstretched waiting for them.

Harry growls. Nope nope nope, this is too much. Harry sends an incarcerous spell towards Sirius, trying to catch him. Unfortunately, they're about 20 meters away from him, and even with Harry's power, the chains don't go that far. Harry groans, and runs, his back throbbing painfully.

Suddenly, Neville is by his side. Harry flashes a quick grin at him.

"Yikes, that looks painful." Neville says, panting as the two of them sprint across the Atrium. He touches Harry's shoulder which Harry _knows _is dislocated.

"Yeah….ow don't do that!" Harry yelps, as Neville tries to pop his arm back into place. "We're kinda trying to stop some prisoners right now, not play patient and doctor?" They continue running.

Neville grins. "Right. So, what do you want to do boss?"

Harry glances at Lily and Sirius uneasily, who are losing steam. The Atrium is actually pretty big- many people underestimate it. Kind of like Neville and Harry who are not even half-way across.

"Ummm….capture them?"

Neville salutes him. "Aye aye captain!"

Harry ducks into a roll as Sirius shoots a spell at him. _How did he get a wand? _Harry yelps in pain as his dislocated shoulder crunches beneath him. "Merlin's saggy …..!" Harry rolls up and meets the eyes of a young child, who was with his father when the ministry was captured. "Nevermind." Harry says, and takes off in a sprint again barely sparing a glance for the poor kid who will probably be branded with the mark before the day is up.

_God damn them! _Harry thinks, over and over as he shoots spells in retaliation towards his mother and Sirius. _I can't let them get away! _

Soon he is within a few feet of Sirius, while his mother is near the floo. Harry can see Lily looking at him. He grimaces.

Harry shoots a red stunner at Sirius, but is surprised when Sirius retaliates with a flesh-peeling curse that is practically dark.

He dodges it, and is relieved when Sirius switches back to the incarcerous and stunners.

"Give up!" Harry yells at Sirius, his arm throbbing. "You won't be able to escape!"

Sirius looks desperately at the fireplace - at Lily who is beckoning to him frantically.

"Alright!" Sirius says, and his wand hand drops limply to his side. "Alright." He says again.

Harry sighs in relief, and grabs his arm as a jolt of pain goes through it. "Damn it Sirius, you can never make it easy, can you."

Lily takes one last look at Harry, her eyes sad. Then, she's gone, apparated away.

Harry grits his teeth and walks towards Sirius. "Now I'd rather not-" There is a piercing pain in his chest. Harry looks down, and sees blood spreading over his chest, arms and legs. "Ow." He mutters. This is not good.

Sirius is holding his wand out, eyes desperate. "I'm….I'm sorry Harry." He whispers.

Harry grunts in pain, and stumbles to the ground, his eyes blurring. "Which…..which curse?" He whispers, eyes watering. Harry lifts his hand up, which is covered in his blood. This cannot be good.

Sirius steps away from Harry. "Sectumsempra." Harry lets his head thump towards the ground, head lying there in defeat….

"Why?" Harry asks, weakly, groaning as his dislocated shoulder shifts uncomfortably.

Sirius looks confused. "I….It needs to be done."

His world is blurring by the time he sees Sirius and Neville engage in a duel. Neville is strong- but so is Sirius, and this time they are duelling to the death. Neville is laughing, taunting Sirius, but rage tints his words. Neville hates it when people hurt Harry. But the battle takes a horrible turn, all at once so suddenly. But Harry falls further and further- not knowing what is going around him.

Harry is nearly unconscious when Sirius desperately shoots the Avada Kedavra at Neville.

Harry's world is dark- and he doesn't see his best friend hit the ground, eyes open and lifeless.

**END OF CHAPTER **

**Well. I did not see that coming. Honestly, I kinda wrote it and I was like…..what? Anyway, this is the turning point I suppose, for Harry. And for the story. **

**Damn, I miss Neville already- even if he didn't feature that largely in this story. *sob***


	16. Grief

Harry sits on his bed.

His wand arm is bandaged. Not to mention his torso, and back.

His eyes are lifeless.

There is a scar running down the side of his face transforming the once handsome face to something battle-hardened and weary. His back is criss-crossed with scars that will be there forever.

His hair is limp.

His soul…..cracking into pieces.

Neville is dead.

He died on the 15th of June.

Neville.

Is.

Dead.

Harry breaks down, tears coursing down his face.

* * *

Harry walks in a daze around his small cottage. It's been a week since Neville died, and tomorrow is his funeral.

Harry keeps on expecting him to pop around the corner, smiling jovially, teasing Harry about something. But he won't ever. Never will again.

Because Sirius killed him.

Harry can't believe it.

Sirius killed Neville- Sirius, killed his brother.

Sirius.

Sirius,

It's a never ending circle that Harry goes through, hating Sirius, breaking down because of the betrayal, and then ultimately, the circle leads back to grief over Neville.

* * *

Luna is sobbing, a wretched, horrible sound. She and Neville were engaged to marry, in six months- they thought the war would be over by then.

Harry wants to hug her, to comfort her, but he's frozen. All he can see is Neville's cold face, staring from the coffin before they closed it. He wasn't smiling, he wasn't laughing. He looked so lifeless.

Harry bows his head and grits his teeth in an effort to prevent the tears from falling. He doesn't succeed. A tear rolls down his cheek, and Harry sits on the chairs, and raises his wand like everyone else. Strands of gold shoot from their wands, and wrap around Neville's coffin. The strands glow once, twice, before turning pitch black, to signify Neville's allegiance to the dark.

Voldemort is sitting in a shadowed corner, his face emotionless. He wasn't sad. Not at all. Harry glances at Voldemort, and is infuriated when he sees that Voldemort hasn't raised his wand like everyone else. But Voldemort never cared much when Death Eaters died. But this was Neville. Neville Longbottom, the young boy who ran away from home, Harry's best friend and brother. Why couldn't Voldemort care?

Daphne is sitting beside Harry, her blonde hair in an elegant french twist. She squeezes Harry's hand and lays her head on his shoulder. Harry is glad for Daphne's comfort, more than ever, but she didn't really know Neville- not like Harry did.

Not like Draco did.

Draco and Neville were close, best friends. They all had been best friends. Draco should be here, at his best friend's funeral. _He's probably congratulating Sirius on a job well done. _Harry thinks bitterly.

They get up from the seats to pay their last respects to Neville, before the coffin is lowered into the ground. Elliott is before Harry, and Harry puts a hand on his son's shoulder as the two year old toddles up to the coffin.

"Goodbye Uncle Neville." Elliott says, his voice small. He places a piece of paper on the coffin, and Harry smiles sadly as he sees the stick figures that Elliott has drawn.

It's Harry's turn now. He's the last in line.

"Hey mate." Harry clears his throat. "It's been fun, having you here." He places a hand on Neville's coffin. "I'm going to have to pick out ties by myself now though, and I don't know if I can do that. You know how bad my taste in clothing is." Harry's voice breaks, but he forces himself to be strong.

"I'm sorry that it was you, and not me." He whispers. With a final glance at the coffin that holds his best friend...no- his brother, Harry walks away.

* * *

Draco's face is pale. "What?" He whispers.

Sirius has the decency to look guilty. "I'm sorry. Well, not really- I didn't know the fellow. But I honestly thought he would dodge it- I was losing the fight, see, and he was much better than me. But….he didn't." He glances guiltily at Alice and Frank Longbottom, whose faces are emotionless. They hadn't seen Neville in 12 years, but when Sirius announced the news, Alice's face crumpled.

Draco sits down in one of the chairs. The order is looking at him, and Ginny lays a hand on his shoulder. He shoves her hand off. Ginny looks upset, but doesn't say anything.

"Neville's dead? No- no!" Draco shudders. "My best friend is dead?"

Albus scoffs. He's sitting next to Hermione, who glances worriedly at her husband. "He was your best friend? Come on, Malfoy. He was evil."

Draco gets up from his chair in such a hurry that the chair flies backwards."Don't you dare say that Neville was evil!" He yells. "He was the most kind, funny person I've ever met! He was in love! He wanted to get married, have kids, not kill people! He never wanted anything to do with the war- but he felt a duty towards _them_ for taking him in! Harry was the dark heir, not Neville. Don't you dare insult Harry either, by the way. Neville and Harry became what they were, because of you!" He points an accusing finger at the table. "It was the light side that drove them away."

Tears are now rolling down Draco's face. "I don't expect you to understand. For you, it's just another filthy Death Eater dead. But for me, that's my best friend." He grabs his hair and yanks at it, a frantic, insane gesture. His eyes, usually cool and collected are filled with

Albus rolls his eyes. "Get over it, Malfoy. You left them. That's your choice, and if you are going to fight for the light, you gotta accept the fact that people, _your best friends _will die. You have got to be prepared to sacrifice, like all of us have."

Draco turns towards Albus, in a controlled, slow manner. His voice is quiet when he speaks. "You have no idea what I have sacrificed, Albus. My family, my life, my beliefs. My best friends. Everything I ever knew or cared about is now trying to kill me. I wouldn't expect you, Golden Boy, to understand."

Draco stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Ginny glares at Albus. "You idiot!"

Alice and Frank Longbottom hold each other's hands tightly. Sirius looks over at them, to see Alice sobbing quietly against Frank's shoulder, and tears slipping down Frank's face.

* * *

Harry sits in Voldemort's study, twirling a glass of wine in his hands. He keeps on expecting to hear Neville, for him to joke about his wine tastes, or make fun of his clothing. But he hears nothing, of course.

It's odd, being in the study without Neville by his side. Somehow, it seems more cold, more frightening. Harry doesn't like it.

Voldemort enters, and upon seeing Harry, nods curtly. "Ah, Harry. I'm glad you are here. We have some important things to discuss."

Harry lifts his head. "Yes, father. What's first on the list?"

Voldemort lifts his chin. "Luna Lovegood."

Harry meets Voldemort's gaze. "What about her?"

"Now that Neville is gone, there is nothing tying her to the dark."

Harry is confused. "And?"

Voldemort sighs. "Luna is a seer. And, as you know, seers veer naturally towards the light, because the dark often gives them nightmares and terrifying visions. Luna is….important to our cause. She might, however go back to the light now that Neville is dead. This can't happen."

Harry swallows harshly as he hears Voldemort refer so callously towards Neville's death. "Ok. What do you propose we do?" Harry says, hoarsely.

Voldemort smiles. Not a nice one. "Fenrir Greyback has proved himself. He managed to subdue Magical Law Enforcement by ordering the Death Eaters around after Rodolphus was caught by a stray stunning spell from our side. He used tactics we never discussed."

Harry feel he knows what is coming, and he dreads it. "Right. And how does this have to do with Luna?"

"As you know, when a Death Eater proves themselves, they get two things. First, Fenrir shall be inducted into the Inner circle. Second, like when you and Neville proved yourselves, he will get a suitable wife. At the time, you chose Hermione. Neville chose Luna. Fenrir chose Luna as well."

Harry has always hated this stupid choosing a wife tradition. He knows that it's pureblood tradition, especially for the dark. But it's a horrible one, which is why Harry is determined for Elliott not to become a Death Eater.

Harry's face is grey. "Luna?" _No no no no_!

Voldemort nods. "Fenrir is quite pleased that I agreed."

"No!" Harry shouts, slamming his fist on the table. "No no no! Neville has been dead for a month father _one month_! Luna is still grieving! And for god's sake, anyone but Fenrir Greyback!"

Harry and Fenrir Greyback had been close, at one point. Fenrir had reminded Harry of Remus, and Fenrir had been protective of Harry. But that was until Harry found out he had bitten Theo. Harry knew was his fault, for wishing that James or Albus would be werewolves, but instead, his little brother Theo suffered instead. And Fenrir Greyback was cruel, very cruel. Luna would be so unhappy.

Voldemort's eyes grow cold. "You are not here to question my choices, Harry. You are here to carry them out."

Harry feels faint. "Now?"

Voldemort rolls his eyes. "Well we couldn't give her a chance to escape, now could we?"

Harry smirks, in an effort to lighten the tension in the room. A plan begins to form in his mind. "She's a seer."

Voldemort looks annoyed. "Prophecy seer."

Harry gets up. "So, I should go get Luna, now?"

Voldemort sighs impatiently. "Yes. And meet us in the church in Little Hangleton. This shouldn't be a big affair, and we need her on our side."

Harry nods. His heart quickens. He knows what he is going to do.

* * *

"Luna!" Harry yells, as he bursts into her rooms. "Luna, quickly!"

He finds her lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Luna!" He says, shaking her.

Luna turns her head towards him, her eyes listless. "I know why you're here, Harry."

Harry draws back, nervous. "You do?"

Luna nods, tiredly. "I am to...marry….the Death Eater. Pansy told me." She laughs, bitterly. "What would Neville think of me?" She says, her eyes haunted.

Harry nods, quickly, not bothering to comfort her. There's no time for that. "Yes, but I have a plan."

Luna sighs. "What is it then?"

Harry grins. "I'm going to get you out of here, back to the light. You can escape. I won't allow you to marry that disgusting man."

Luna's eyes begin to look happier. "You can get me out of here?"

Harry nods again, over and over. "Yes, but we have to hurry, ok?"

Luna picks up her wand and waves it. A small back zooms into her hands, and Harry casts a undetectable enlargement charm on it. Soon, it's full of Luna's clothing, books and pictures of Neville.

"Ok, so they will be at the church. What I am going to do is say that you escaped, alright? In the meantime, I'll get you a broomstick, and you go to London….I'm going to send an anonymous message to the Order, telling them where you are." Harry grimaces at the thought of helping the light. But it's necessary for Luna to be safe.

Luna's eyes well with tears. "Thank you so much, Harry. And don't worry, you'll find love soon."

Harry is puzzled. "I have Daphne?"

Luna shakes her head, and smiles mysteriously. "The only thing I'll miss from here is Neville's grave. Could you lay fresh flowers on it every week please? Thank you. Goodbye, Harry Potter."

Harry bursts into the church in Little Hangleton, gasping for air. "She escaped, she escaped she-" He freezes.

Luna turns towards him, her eyes full of tears. Fenrir Greyback is holding her hand, and he sneers nastily at Harry.

'It didn't work.' Luna mouths at Harry, just as the priest says, "I now pronounce you Husband and Wife."

Luna and Fenrir walk out of the church, the other Death Eaters following them. Luna's eyes are emotionless, but she looks like a rag doll, being dragged behind Fenrir Greyback.

Harry gulps. He looks at Voldemort, who smiles at him, cruelly.

Harry breaks.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!' He yells at Voldemort. "NEVILLE IS BARELY COLD IN HIS BLOODY GRAVE!"

Voldemort twirls his wand. "Calm down, Harry."

"NO! I WON'T CALM DOWN! YOU ARE CRUEL! YOU ARE A BLOODY DARK LORD! I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT GOD, NEVILLE WAS LIKE YOUR SON! HE CALLED YOU FATHER, AND THE FIRST THING YOU DO AFTER HE DIES IS MARRY OFF THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE!" Harry keeps on seeing Luna's hopeless eyes. Oh god. Poor Luna.

Voldemort sneers. "Neville was never like my son. He was weak, worthless."

Harry's rage falters, and is replaced by fear. "What do you mean?" He says, eyes uncertain. "Neville wasn't weak!"

Voldemort looks at Harry coldly. "He died, of a simple Avada Kedavra. He died, because of Sirius Black. Sirius Black isn't as strong as Neville. And yet, Neville still died."

Harry stares at Voldemort in shock. "So, because Neville is dead, you….think he should have survived the Avada Kedavra?"

Voldemort stares at Harry. "You did. Why shouldn't he?" He walks out of the church, leaving Harry to deal with his guilt.

_I'm so sorry, Nev._

* * *

The next time Harry sees Luna, is a month later. She's standing behind Fenrir during his initiation into the Inner Circle. He accepts his silver mask with relish, a large upgrade from the bronze ones the minor Death Eaters wear, and then motions for Luna to come forward.

"My wife wishes to be inducted into the Death Eater circle." Fenrir says, eyes glinting. "I decided that she would benefit the dark even more if she was loyal to you, my lord." He says to Voldemort.

Harry gapes at Luna. She hangs her head, so Harry hasn't had a chance to see her face. Luna always resisted claiming her allegiance to the dark, refusing the dark mark, and Neville had always backed her up. Why would she change her mind, suddenly?

Voldemort beckons for Luna to receive the mark. Luna kneels in front of Voldemort, and doesn't make a sound when the Dark Mark is branded onto her skin. Harry, however, winces.

When Luna finally raises her head, all Harry sees in her eyes is defeat, complete and utter defeat.

Harry knows that he has to save Luna. She won't last much longer. And with that, Harry begins to form a plan. Harry is so confused, so utterly confused. He misses Neville, and Harry just longs for a simple life. He doesn't want to be a Death Eater anymore. He's tired of all the casualties, of all the lies and betrayals, plots and _just everything. _He's so tired. Harry wants to lie down, and not get back up. But then Elliott comes back into his mind, and Harry knows he has to be strong. For his son, who needs him. Harry vowed that when Elliot was born, he would be a better father, better than James Potter had ever been to Harry.

Sometimes, Harry thinks of his family- his blood relations. He dreams, fantasizes about what it would have been like if there had been no war, no chosen one. In this dream, Albus is Harry's twin, his brother and best mate. Harry can sometimes feel the long broken twin bond between the two wanting to be healed. Neville is still alive, and Ron is Harry's friend. Draco never betrayed Harry. James Potter ruffles Harry's hair, and teaches him how to play Quidditch. Remus and Sirius plan pranks with Theo and Harry, and Rosie looks up to Harry. Lily is proud of Harry, and tells him this every day. And Hermione…..But this is some sort of parody- because there will always be a twist in the happy story.

Harry is in so much pain. He grows farther and farther away from Daphne, and soon a bushy haired girl dominates his dreams, and it's just Elliott and that smile he sees every night keeping him going, most days.

Cracks in Harry's faith is showing. They widen, and soon everything will tumble down, and the truth will find it's way like an arrow straight into Harry's broken heart.

* * *

"_There was a prophecy that stated that you would defeat me. However, since you are going to be married to Daphne, that prophecy is no longer valid. I am invincible!" _

"_HARRY!" Hermione screams. The word Mudblood is being carved, slowly and painfully onto her skin. "HARRY HELP!"_

"_Harry, don't listen to the Mudblood. You love me, me me me!" Daphne looks up from where she is carving the words onto Hermione's skin. "You have Elliott. You have our unborn child. You will stay with me." _

_Hermione's eyes are desperate, and her cheeks are wet with tears. "Harry, harry please help me!" She whimpers softly. _

"_This could have been yours…" A voice echoes, and Harry spins around desperately trying to find the voice. _

"_This could have been yours…"_

"_Daddy?" The little voice whispers, and Harry whirls around to find himself in a sunny orchard in front of a homely cottage with a thatched roof. "Daddy!" _

_Quinn flings herself into Harry's arms, and Harry spins her around, laughing. "Daddy, I was so worried!" _

_Harry cuddles her, and pinches her nose which makes her giggle. Together, they walk towards the cottage. _

_Hermione appears at the door, and her face lights up. "You're home!" She says. "I was so worried! God..." She whacks him on the head. "I had no idea where you were! Dumbledore just told me it was an important mission." _

_Harry grins. "Any mission with me in it is important." He ruffles his hair, and then swoops down and gives Hermione a kiss. "I missed my girls." He says, affectionately. Hermione smirks. _

"_I have some exciting news." _

_Harry raises an eyebrow. "Oh, and what's that?" _

_Hermione nods at him to put Quinn down. "Darling, go play with your broomstick. Show Daddy some of those new moves you learned!" _

_Quinn's face lights up. "Oh yeah! I'm going to be a chaser, just like you Daddy!" _

_Harry frowns….He wasn't a chaser! _

_As soon as Quinn has left, Hermione turns to him. "Albus, I'm pregnant!" _

_Harry gazes at her excitedly, until he realises something. "Huh- wait what? I'm not Albus!" _

_Hermione keeps on talking, excitedly. "I know that we wanted to wait a bit- Quinn was an accident and we were so young, but I'm pregnant again!" _

_Harry waves his hands in front of her face. "Hermione, hello? I'm Harry, Harry Riddle?" _

_Suddenly a voice sounds behind him. "Darling I can't believe it!" _

_Harry turns around, and there is Albus is standing there, beaming. Albus walks right through Harry, and Harry yells when he realises he's a ghost of some sort. _

_Albus kisses Hermione. "This is a dream come true!" _

_Harry stares at them in horror. "What! No! It's not a dream come true! I'm supposed to be married to Hermione! That's my kid!" He says, pointing fiercely at Quinn. "My kid!" _

_But Hermione and Albus can't hear him. They carry on talking. _

_Quinn calls from outside. "Daddy, come see my new chaser moves!" _

_Hermione leans up and kisses Albus on the cheek. "I love you." _

_Albus grins at her. "Love you too." _

_Harry feels as if he's been punched in the gut. "No! No, you love me! We're soulmates, Mione! That's my twin! I'm right here! Quinn should be mine, she should be my child...we should be living in this cottage….." Harry drops to the ground, brokenly. "I love you Mione, please no…" _

_But Hermione keeps on smiling after Albus beatifically- because she can't hear him. And she never will. _

_Suddenly, the cottage scene is gone, and Harry's surrounded by white, pure white. There seems to be a train- it looks like King's Cross Station. _

_Harry gets up from the floor hesitantly. Where is he? He wanders over to the train and begins to poke it. Is it real?_

"_Look, I don't have all day so stop with the Sherlock Holmes investigation." A chuckle sounds from behind him. _

_Harry spins around. _

"_Nev!" Harry cries, and launches himself at an amused Neville who is standing in front of Harry. He looks better than ever, his chestnut hair sticking up in odd directions, and his blue eyes glimmering. And best of all, he's smiling. _

"_Hey Harry." Neville says softly. _

_Harry hugs him. To his embarrassment, Harry feels a tear slid down his cheek. _

"_I'm so sorry." Harry whispers, and hugs Neville tighter. _

_Neville grabs Harry's shoulders and pulls him back so he can look him in the eye. "Harry, don't you dare blame yourself for this." He says, sternly. "I should have dodged." _

_Harry drinks in the sight of his best friend. "But then why didn't you?" _

_Neville sighs, and looks down, a gesture that Harry knows he does when he's nervous. "I don't know. I just….I froze. I saw the light coming towards me, and then suddenly- it was an epiphany, honestly, I caught the eye of this little kid- this kid who had been with his father when the Ministry had been taken. He was so scared, so innocent. He didn't deserve to be a Death Eater." Neville pauses. _

"_I just realised….I realised that I didn't want to fight for the dark anymore." _

_Harry chokes. "What?" _

_Neville glances at him. "Odd, isn't it. I decide to do the right thing, and I die. But as I realised this, I saw the green light. It was moving so slowly, like a snail. I could have moved, and I wish I had." Neville says, suddenly his voice thick with emotion. "I should have moved, but then I looked at Sirius's face. He hates me. My parents hate me. Everyone on the Light hates me. There was no way I could ever go back to the light. I was to far in the dark. You don't know this, Harry- but Voldemort made me take part in some of the torturings while you were in Hogwarts. Said I needed to toughen up." _

"_What?" Harry says, disbelievingly. "But we never took part in the torturings. We...we tried to stop them!" _

_There are tears sliding down Neville's face. "But I did! And I laughed along with the Death Eaters, called them mudbloods and filth, and I felt so powerful Harry. I felt so….so in control, but at the same time it was insanity.I knew that I was to far in. I couldn't ever go back to the light." _

_Harry adjusts his glasses. "But what about Luna?" He says. _

_Neville turns around and grabs Harry's hands tightly. "I never wanted to leave Luna. I love her, so so much that it hurts. But when I realised that I could never be light- the green light, or the curse….it just hit me, and it was to late, it was all over. And I never meant to leave her behind- god no not to Fenrir Greyback." He shudders. _

"_They got married." Harry states this, emotionlessly. It's a fact. And Neville knows this. _

_Neville looks off into the distance. "I know. And she hates him. He's broken her. But she knows that I'm watching her, and that one day she'll be with me again. That's what keeps her going everyday. She's going to help you, Harry, because you won't remember this when you wake up." _

_Neville grabs Harry's shoulders urgently. "Listen to me, Harry. You were always meant to be with Hermione. Not Daphne. But Fate and Destiny made a huge mistake. Fate decided that you would be betrayed until you joined the wrong side- and from there you would struggle to find your path until you finally defeated the Dark Lord. But Destiny- Destiny meddled. Destiny bound your soul to Hermione's. But she decided to make your love life….interesting. And that, combined with Fate's path for you, made everything messed up." _

_Harry gulps. "What?"_

_Neville is fading away. "You won't remember this conversation Harry….Luna will try to help you remember it, I promise. But the scenes you saw before is your fears and your wishes, combined with what you have missed. Harry, fight!"_

Harry wakes with a start, a gasp. _Wha-What….._

Daphne is lying next to him, fast asleep. Harry grabs his glasses, thinking about his dream. He couldn't remember…..Neville was there….talking to him about...What could have been his?

Harry can't quite grasp the conversation he had with Neville. He can remember the horrible dreams with Hermione and Daphne. Harry shudders. What a horrible nightmare.

Harry walks down to their kitchen, for a glass of milk. Sipping it, he thinks over his dream, over and over. He knows it was important….but he can't remember what was the important thing. But Neville….he looked so healthy.

Harry can't help but smile and cry at the same time. He misses Neville so, so much.

"Daddy?"

It's Elliott.

"Elliott, what are you doing up?" Harry asks, sternly.

Elliott rubs his eyes. "Couldn't sleep." He says, looking guilty.

Harry sighs. "Alright, let's get you a glass of milk." He lifts Elliott up, and directs the milk into a glass with his wand. Then, casting a warming charm, he gives the milk to Elliott who sips it contentedly, leaning on his father's shoulder. Harry gazes at his son adoringly. His dream was obviously telling him that Daphne was….well willing to hurt Hermione. And that he should have been with Hermione. But Daphne had brought him Elliott. How could anyone evil produce such a perfect person?

Elliott yawns, and Harry puts the glass back on the kitchen counter. Soon, Elliott is fast asleep again, and Harry walks up the stairs, the steps creaking under his weight. Carefully, he lifts Elliott back onto his bed. Harry sighs, pushes his son's messy hair back from his face. Elliott sighs in his sleep. Kissing his son's forehead, Harry closes the door softly, and goes back up to his room.

"Where have you been?" Daphne asks sleeply. Harry says nothing, and slips back into bed.

"I had the oddest dream." He says, quietly. He doesn't want to look into Daphne's eyes- not after having that dream about Daphne and Hermione.

Daphne opens one eye. "And what was it about?" She mumbles.

"I saw Neville again." Harry says, quietly.

Daphne sits up, and lays her head on his shoulder, holding his hand. Harry leans his head on hers, an ache in his chest when he realises that he wishes it was Hermione next to him.

"Are we doing the right thing? Fighting for the dark?" Harry whispers.

Harry can practically feel Daphne's shock at the answer. "Darling, of course we are. Now, stop thinking about what's right and what's wrong. You have me, and Elliott. And we'll stand by your side, no matter what."

Harry kisses the top of his wife's head. "Thanks Daph." Harry forces some sort of love into his voice. Tries to find it in his heart to feel affection towards Daphne. But even though Harry hides it well, Daphne….just isn't what he wants.

As the both of them settle back down to sleep, however, Harry keeps on seeing Mudblood being etched over and over into Hermione's skin.

* * *

_Quinn Potter…..Quinn…._The Dark Lord muses to himself. _There was something...odd about that child. Yet familiar. _

_The eyes…...The eyes were like Harry's….._Voldemort's eyes sharpen. _Could it be…? _

_No. If the child is Harry's, then the prophecy is valid. _

Slowly, Voldemort begins to put the pieces together. _That night in the woods….And then the news of the girl marrying Harry's brother almost straight after…._

_I must get ahold of that girl at all costs. _

_She has to die. _

**End of Chapter! **

**So, kinda a chapter to sort of show the characters dealing with Neville's death, and a sort of revelation, I guess? **


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